By NNN-Bernama
Phuket, Thailand : A trip to enjoy the beautiful beaches and island-dotted seas in Phuket in southern Thailand turned tragic for a group of Iranian holidaymakers when 18 of them died in Sunday’s air crash at Phuket International Airport.
An Iranian Embassy official said here Tuesday that the group was travelling from Bangkok to the island for a short holiday when the tragedy occurred. “Twenty-four of them came to Thailand but unfortunately 18 died in the crash, including several children,” he said.
Six of the survivors, including two children, have been admitted to the Bangkok-Phuket Hospital here.
The official said the group, comprising several families, came from several parts of the country, including Tehran.
The One-Two-Go Airlines jet from Bangkok, with 123 passengers and seven crew onboard, skidded off the runaway after landing at 3.40pm during bad weather and caught fire, killing 89 people, including the Indonesian pilot.
So far, the police forensic team has identified 53 of the 89 bodies. Officials said 53 of the dead were foreigners and 36 were Thais, while 15 Thais and 26 foreigners were injured in the crash.
Those killed were from Germany, Australia, Britain, France, Israel, Thailand, Iran, Austria, Holland and Indonesia.