http://www.rtoz.org/2013/10/16/lao-airlines-plane-carrying-40-passengers-crashes-into-mekong-river-in-laos/

RIP

Lao Airlines Says 49 Dead After Plane Crashes Into Mekong River

(3:55 p.m. on 16th October, 2013)


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Please click on image to view a larger version




Lao Airlines, the Southeast Asian country’s national carrier, said 49 people were feared dead after a plane on a domestic flight from the capital Vientiane crashed into the Mekong River while attempting to land.

The plane experienced "bad weather conditions" while preparing to land at Pakse Airport in the south of the country at about 4 p.m. local time, according to the carrier.

The model was an ATR 72-600 turboprop made by the Avions de Transport Regional venture owned by Airbus SAS parent European Aeronautic, Space and Defense Co. and Italy’s Finmeccanica SpA (FNC), ATR said in a statement.

Lao Airlines said in a statement it was sending emergency crews to the crash site, and expected to release initial findings of its investigation into the cause of the crash today. Lao Airlines flies to six international and six domestic destinations. Thailand's Channel 3 television network broadcast footage of people pulling wreckage of the aircraft from the Mekong River.

There has been "no news of survivors," the airline said in the statement, adding that the plane was carrying 44 passengers and five crew. Flight QV301 left the capital, Vientiane, at 2:45 p.m. local time and was scheduled to arrive in Pakse at 3:55 p.m.

A list provided by Thailand's foreign ministry showed seven passengers from France, five Australians, five Thais, three Koreans, two Vietnamese, one American, one Chinese, one Taiwanese, one Canadian, and one Myanmar citizen were on board the flight, in addition to 17 Lao citizens.

Laos Airlines, established in 1976, operates Airbus SAS A320-214, Xi'an Aircraft Industry MA-6 and ATR-72-500 aircraft. The airline flies an ATR-72 twin-engine turboprop plane on the 467-kilometer (290-mile) route.




http://www.laopride.com/pictures/star.gif Lao Airlines hostess http://www.laopride.com/pictures/star.gif

Lao Airlines flight crashes into Mekong River

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The Lao Airlines plane crash was an accident waiting to happen.

I've travelled on one before and I never felt comfortable from the moment it took off and throughout the entire journey. This accident is the final straw and I will never fly Lao Airlines again.

I recommend travelling by road if you want to travel within Laos. May the soul of all victims of the crash rest in peace, this is such a tragic news.

Announcement from Lao Airlines



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The scene of the Lao Airlines crash

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Laos has had 29 fatal air accidents since the 1950's, according to the Aviation Safety Network, whose data showed that the country's safety record has improved dramatically in the last decade.

The last fatal air accident was in October 2000 when eight people died when a plane operated by the airline - then called Lao Aviation - crashed in remote mountains in the northeast of the country.

Communist Laos, landlocked between Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and China, is a closed country with a secretive one-party government.

The nation of about seven million people is one of Asia's poorest countries and is highly dependent on foreign donors.

The economy is relatively insulated from global trade and financial networks, though Laos has become a popular tourism destination and mining has played an increasingly important role in growth.

They kissed goodbye at the terminal gate
She said, "You're gonna be late if you don't go"
He held her tight, said, "I'll be alright
I'll call you tonight to let you know"
He bought a postcard, on the front it just said Heaven
With a picture of the ocean and the beach
And the simple words he wrote her
Said he loved her and they told her
How he'd hold her if his arms would reach

Wish you were here, wish you could see this place
Wish you were near, I wish I could touch your face
The weather's nice, it's paradise
It's summertime all year and there's some folks we know
They say, "Hello, I miss you so, wish you were here"

She got a call that night but it wasn't from him
It didn't sink in right away, ma'am the plane went down
Our crews have searched the ground
No survivors found she heard him say
But somehow she got a postcard in the mail
That just said Heaven with a picture of the ocean and the beach
And the simple words he wrote her
Said he loves and they told her
How he'd hold her if his arms would reach

Wish you were here, wish you could see this place
Wish you were near, I wish I could touch your face
The weather's nice, it's paradise
It's summertime all year and there's some folks we know
They say, "Hello, I miss you so, wish you were here"

The weather's nice, in paradise
It's summertime all year and all the folks we know
They say, "Hello, I miss you so, wish you were here"
Wish you were here

Kyrie eleison Pinong Lao

When I get where I'm going
On the far side of the sky
The first thing that I'm gonna do
Is spread my wings and fly

I'm gonna land beside a lion
And run my fingers through his mane
Or I might find out what it's like
To ride a drop of rain

[Chorus]
Yeah when I get where I'm going
There'll be only happy tears
I will shed the sins and struggles
I have carried all these years
And I'll leave my heart wide open
I will love and have no fear
Yeah when I get where I'm going
Don't cry for me down here

I'm gonna walk with my grand daddy
And he'll match me step for step
And I'll tell him how I missed him
Every minute since he left
Then I'll hug his neck

[Repeat chorus]

So much pain and so much darkness
In this world we stumble through
All these questions I can't answer
So much work to do

But when I get where I'm going
And I see my maker's face
I'll stand forever in the light
Of his amazing grace
Yeah when I get where I'm going
There'll be only happy tears
Hallelujah
I will love and have no fear
When I get where I'm going
Yeah when I get where I'm going

A holiday in Laos ends in a coffin. Workers prepare simple coffins at a Chinese temple in Pakse, Laos. The temple is being used as a temporary morgue for the victims of the Lao Airlines plane crash.

The aircraft ran into extreme bad weather conditions and crashed into the Mekong River killing all 49 people onboard. The dead included 44 passengers, 2 pilots, 2 flight attendants and a mechanic.




Coffin for the victims of the Lao Airlines plane crash

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I was really sad when I heard about this news. I had some friends on facebook that are flight attendants on Lao Airlines and it really made me sad when I found out that she was on that flight. It's her birthday today and I can't wish her a HBD. I can only pray for her in the next life. She was going to give a surprise present for her parents on her Bday, that's how unselfish this girl was. That's how she will be remembered. She was an angel even when she was in this world.

I was told that the other flight attendant was on her maiden voyage. She had just got accepted for the position. Such a young life with so much potential, all taken too early.

:'(

Whenever you walk into a plane, you have no control and your life is in the hands of others. That's why The Wizard of Oz golden girl in Judy Garland had a fear of flying.

Most of the planes in Laos are different in that it is propeller-driven which I don't like. These sorts of planes are noisy and can feel bumpy from the turbulence caused by strong winds because they are light. I've travelled on a Lao Airlines plane a few times in the past so I know what it's like, including from Vientiane to Pakse.

It's not a safe plane compared to Thai Airways, although they also have their fair share of accidents with one skidding off the runway just last month.

I feel sorry for everyone on that doomed flight, it's not a way you want to die. It's sad for our country. The authorities believe that the missing people are still in the plane so they must have drowned to death. 

The river is involved most of the time when foreigners die in Laos. I have a strong belief in water ghosts in Laos - Be careful in Vang Vieng.

Whether you take a plane, train or automobile, there's always a risk, especially in Laos/Thailand since the conditions aren't like western standards. Even taking the bus is scary there. They also drive like suicidal maniacs. Their vehicles are not well maintained either. It's all a recipe for disaster.
I will not fly on those small planes in Laos/Thai. I will take my chances on the ground, even if it takes longer.
I heard that other airlines had cancelled flights due to the typhoon nari which was near the area. Vietnam airlines cancelled flights, but why didn't Lao Airlines cancel this flight to the south which is near the tail end of that typhoon. They did not have the technology to read weather conditions. The control tower was too late in alerting them to abort the landing and take another course and do a fly by.

I have only flown from Bangkok to Vientiane using Lao Airways on an Airbus A320 and it was a bit shaky at times. I'm not sure any other plane would have faired better, when they lose control like that against severe weather, they have no where to go but down.
It's too bad the plane didn't hit the water first, then there might have been a chance of some survivors, but it looks like it had a hard impact with the ground first, next to the river before it went into the water.

I felt so sad when I saw her body lying on the river bank. I felt like she was speaking to me,"help me".

That's true, long distance buses are also scary in Laos, particularly to the northern region where there are lots of swerving up and down mountains. I've been in long distance buses and they break down in the middle of nowhere at times, but at least you're still alive when the bus breaks down, so it gives me great comfort.

I don't recommend anyone travelling by air in Laos. A bus to southern Laos is okay because the road is straight, and if you're travelling to northern Laos then I suggest you hire a chauffeur. This way you have more control because you can tell the driver to slow down or stop at a town to rest if required.

My experience on Lao Airlines was never a good one. I had a feeling that it would crash sooner or later because it's too small to fly in the extreme weather of Laos. I prefer jet engine over propeller-driven planes that we have in Laos.

Poor girl and poor everyone on that doomed flight.

:-[

I generally don't bother about survival while traveling since I'll just reincarnate into another form if I die But the plane and bus systems in Laos are quite frankly terrible. And using the sleeper buses in northern Laos is the most miserable experience. The transportation industry in Laos is bad because of the poor condition of the roads and a failure to properly maintain vehicles. Transportation in Vietnam is even worse but for different reasons mostly related to thieves and con artists.

And Saovaluck, tourists drown in Vang Vieng because they drink too much Beerlao and whiskey or take drugs like ecstasy or opium and become disoriented in the water. Why would ghosts attack foreigners?

Many Laotians died while trying to swim across the Mekong River into Thailand to escape the communists during the war in the 1970's.

They were either shot or drowned, and there's still many angry souls in the rivers of Laos from of our sad and sorry history. In Laos, we call the water ghosts "Pee Naam", and they like to take foreigners. Laotians have a love affair with foreigners and the water ghosts are no different.

Many deaths with foreigners in Laos occurs in the water than on the roads when we consider our roads more dangerous. The deaths in the waters of Vang Vieng is also due to hitting the rocks underneath, so those who didn't drink or take drugs would have died anyway. I believe the water ghosts have taken their life.

The sleeper buses do tend to make you vulnerable during accidents because you're sleeping and there's no seat belt. I actually don't mind the beds in buses because a trip can take 8 or 9 hours. Those who don't want to sleep can sit on the bed.

The roads is Laos are not flash but they have improved over the years. At the end of the day you have to get from A to B and I know what I prefer taking between road and air travel.

With regards to the sleeping buses, it is mostly an issue for those of us who stand at 1.8 meters or taller.

Thanks for explaining your view on ghosts. I don't agree with them but it is always interesting to hear a new perspective.

To each their own beliefs.

As for sleeping buses, it can be an inconvenience for tall people. You can actually choose the type of bus you want to travel in when buying your ticket.

In Laos, we have air-conditioned buses that have seats or beds.

Here we had water gost sotries when I was a child, then, Mekong River ( Lang Chang River we call ) was large and deep. Now, seems the stories have gone, now, the River is small in dry season and gostes had long gone.

Are there ghosts in Xishuangbanna, pete?

It's all about individual's beliefs.  Ghosts are souls that are in the process of getting to Heaven.  I do not believe these souls are meant to harm living humans. 

Stupid behaviours, unforseen environmental conditions and mechanical failures will eventually lead to loss of human lives.

TexasCowboy wrote on 21^st Oct, 2013 at 4:28pm:

Are there ghosts in Xishuangbanna, pete?

I don't know , never helloed one.

I was told chasing ghosts away by spilling your own blood, just one or two drops.  ;D

Beef Cake wrote on 21^st Oct, 2013 at 5:44pm:

It's all about individual's beliefs.  Ghosts are souls that are in the process of getting to Heaven.  I do not believe these souls are meant to harm living humans.  Stupid behaviours, unforseen environmental conditions and mechanical failures will eventually lead to loss of human lives.

Shoot man i belive in ghost ! here in the state too

The U.S. and Canada have the ghosts of the Native Americans. Much more dangerous than the ghosts in Laos.