SURAT THANI, Thailand -- A Thai Airways jet trying to land in a rainstorm plunged into a swamp Friday and burst into flames, killing at least 80 of the 146 people aboard, officials and witnesses said.
Officials said 50 people survived when Thai Airways Flight TG261 from Bangkok went down about 6:45 p.m. three miles from the airport in Surat Thani, a fishing port and travel hub for vacation resorts 330 miles southwest of Bangkok.Slogging through a swamp, about 200 rescue workers and volunteers from nearby villagers struggled to pull bodies from the burnt, twisted metal of the wrecked plane. The rescue operation was scaled back early Saturday because of darkness and rain but began again in full force at daybreak.
The passengers were mostly Thais returning to the province for the weekend or heading to resort islands. Of 25 foreigners aboard, 11 had survived, 3 were confirmed dead and the rest were missing, police said Saturday morning.
"I pulled out about 20 dead bodies," said Pornsak Jaratrae, 23, who rushed to the scene from his village.
"We had to dive into the freezing water to find bodies. It was so difficult -- I never did anything like that before," Pornsak said.
Thai television reported the pilot survived, but the report could not be confirmed. Police said at least five children -- four boys and a girl -- were among the hospitalized survivors.
The rain kept falling even as the rescue effort continued Saturday. Ambulances were unable to reach the area and only vehicles with four-wheel drive could navigate the mud.
Still, the water that hampered rescuers may have cushioned the aircraft's impact, officials said.
A police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the plane made three turns around the airport in a heavy storm before attempting to land.
Flight attendant Akradej Pudemha described the crash to Thai television from his hospital bed.
"We figured that if we couldn't land on the third try, we would return to Bangkok," he said. "The plane was shaking the whole time, and we crashed on the third try. Then the plane was on fire, and I urged the passengers to jump out. They were reluctant."
The airline released a passenger manifest that indicated most of the 132 passengers were Thais, but there were also several Western and Japanese names.