web DeskRelatives of the pilot and co-pilot held a ceremony to invite the spirits of the victims of the small plane crash. The results of the tissue samples were sent to the forensic department for examination, with over 50% of the identities confirmed. Four individuals have been identified and Chinese relatives are being contacted to compare DNA.
Reporters went to the crash site of the small plane and found the families of Flight Lieutenant Anucha Decha-apirakchon, 61, the pilot, and Mr. Phonsak Totap, 30, the co-pilot of the small plane, Flight TFT209, a Cessna caravan C208, registration HSSKR, owned by Thai Flying Service Co., Ltd., which crashed in the mangrove forest behind Wat Khao Din, Bang Pakong District, Chachoengsao Province. Monks were invited to perform a ceremony to invite the spirits to the temple for religious ceremonies. The atmosphere was filled with sadness. The entire area has been cordoned off as a restricted area, with volunteer defense corps, kamnans, and village headmen guarding the area to
prevent villagers from collecting belongings at the scene. The wreckage of the plane has been taken to the 2nd Engineer Battalion of the King’s Guard, Sri Sothon Camp, Chachoengsao Province, awaiting the company’s removal.
As for the progress of the identification, Pol. Lt. Gen. Trairong Phiwpaen, Commander of the Police Forensic Science Office, Royal Thai Police, revealed that officers have now been able to identify the identities of 4 deceased persons, all of whom are Thais: the pilot, the co-pilot, and 2 crew members. This is because all 4 persons have clear fingerprint records in the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) of the Police Forensic Science Office, which examines their hands and feet. If we were to assess the progress, it would be more than 50 percent complete. As for DNA collection, it is currently being examined from human body parts sent to the Police General Hospital’s Forensic Medicine. It is expected that on August 26, the results of the identification of the remaining decea
sed persons will be gradually obtained.
Initially, they will urgently coordinate with the relatives of the Chinese passengers to verify and confirm their identities. Officials already have a list of all passengers and pilots on the plane. However, they admit that the work is quite difficult because there are more than 90 pieces of debris sent. Therefore, officials need time to verify and confirm the DNA results. There will be another announcement on the progress of the identification process this Monday.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Supichai Limsiwawong, commander of the Police General Hospital’s Institute of Forensic Medicine, said that today the bodies of the four Thais whose identities have been verified cannot be handed over to their relatives because they are in the process of testing each piece of DNA to match the DNA of the relatives that was previously collected. Since there were a large number of body parts found at the scene, officers must examine every piece and arrange them in the correct places as much as po
ssible.
CCTV footage of the minute a small plane crashed at 2:46 p.m. on August 22, 2024, Flight TFT209 Suvarnabhumi-Koh Mai Si, Trat Province, with 9 passengers, pilots, and crew, took off from Suvarnabhumi Airport, destination Koh Mai Chi, Trat Province. Less than 10 minutes after takeoff, the plane lost contact with the air traffic control tower at Suvarnabhumi. The plane was located 18.7 nautical miles southeast. The air traffic control center received confirmation from the plane that there was an unusual incident at 2:50 p.m. and lost contact.
Source: Thai News Agency
