Death Toll at 88 in Thai Air Crash

Survivor says plane tried to land too fast in torrential rain
Posted Sep 16, 2007 1:08 PM CDT
Death Toll at 88 in Thai Air Crash
Thai forensic workers walk amongst bodies being stored at Phuket airport Thailand on Sunday Sept. 16. 2007. A plane carrying many foreign tourists to one of Thailand's most popular resort islands crashed while landing in torrential rains Sunday, killing at least 87 people and injuring 43, officials...   (Associated Press)

The death toll has risen to 88 in the crash of a budget airliner on a Thai island resort today, Reuters reports. Officials said the plane broke up and burst into flames as it tried to land in torrential rain.The 42 survivors are being treated for a variety of injuries, and at least one said he thought the plane descended too fast.

"The inside was on fire and about five minutes of burning, there was a small explosion that blew off the top of the plane," said one witness. The crash will prompt new questions about safety in the burgeoning budget airline industry, though analysts insist that there is no evidence to suggest low-cost carriers are more dangerous than traditional airlines. (More Thailand stories.)

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