A small police plane crashed into the sea near a popular beach town in Thailand on Friday, killing at least five people on board.
The plane was on a test flight to prepare for parachute training in Hua Hin district when it crashed at 8 a.m. local time, according to Royal Thai Police spokesperson Archayon Kraithong.
Officials did not immediately reveal the model of the propeller plane, but images from the area appear to indicate a Viking DHC-6 Twin Otter.
Prachuab Kiri Khan province’s public relations department confirmed that the plane crashed near Hua Hin airport.
There were six people on board, all police officers, Me Archayon said.
He initially said that five people had died at the scene and one in hospital, but later revised the death toll to five, saying the officer who was sent to the hospital remained in critical condition but alive.
The cause of the crash is not yet known but Mr Archayon said officials were gathering evidence including data from the plane’s black box.
