Thai Passenger Plane Catches Fire Before PM's Boarding

Thai Passenger Plane Catches Fire Before PM's Boarding

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A Thai passenger plane mystically burst into flames this afternoon in the capital's domestic airport, just minutes before the boarding of its passengers, including Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, local TV news reported later yesterday.

The fire completely destroyed the Boeing 737 flight TG 114 of Thai International Airways Company, bound for the northern province of Chiang Mai, about 1,000 kilometers north of Bangkok, leaving one crew member killed and seven others injured.

Premier Thaksin was among the VIPs who checked in and were due to be on board just a short time before the plane caught fire.

He later went on with his trip to his homeland Chiang Mai by an airplane arranged by the Royal Thai Air Force.

The police source said the firefighter had already brought the fire under control soon after the incident. But the cause of the fire has not yet been found.

Reports said the plane was burnt up to the extent that the fuselage collapsed, leaving only its tail carrying its logo onto the remains.

Relief workers found a male body burnt to ashes on board. The victim was identified as a steward on the plane. Seven injured have been taken to hospital.

The Thai authorities refused to comment on whether the act of sabotage is behind the fire incident, saying they were waiting for the preliminary investigation result of a special committee set up shortly after the incident by the Airport Authority of Thailand.html target=_blank>Thailand.

Rumors have spread that the incident could be caused by a bomb hidden in the luggage, and might be related to some drug dealers.