AlHijjah 11, 1434, Oct 16, 2013, SPA -- A Lao Airlines plane crashed Wednesday into the Mekong River in southern Laos with 49 people on board and all were presumed dead, the airline said. No survivors had been found among the 44 passengers, most of whom were foreigners, and five crew members but a search of the river was being carried out, dpa quoted the state-owned airline as saying. The ATR 72-600, a twin-engine turboprop aircraft, crashed near Pakse, the capital of Champasak province, about 4 pm (0900 GMT) after flying into a rainstorm, the airline said. The passenger list consisted of 17 Laotians, seven French nationals, five Australians, five Thais, three South Koreans, two Vietnamese, one Chinese, one Canadian, one Myanmar national, one person from Taiwan and one American. "There was no news of survivors at this time," said a statement issued by the airline's president. "Lao Airlines is taking all necessary steps to coordinate and dispatch all rescue units to the accident site in the hope of finding survivors." The plane was flying from Laos' capital, Vientiane, to Pakse, located north of the Mekong's 4,000 Islands and west of the Bolaven Plateau, known for its waterfalls and coffee fields. Lao Airlines said it was conducting an investigation into the cause of the crash and hoped to release some findings by Thursday.
