BANGKOK: Rescue workers searched for nine missing people in the Thai jungle on Friday (23 August) after a turboprop plane crashed southeast of the capital Bangkok. Authorities, however, did not expect any survivors.

The plane crashed in the jungles of Chacheongsao province on Thursday and all aboard are presumed dead, Thai officials said.

Nine people – including two pilots and seven passengers – were on their way from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport to Trat province, a region on the Gulf of Thailand known for its beaches, when the plane crashed.

“It happened at about 3:10 p.m. (4:10 p.m., Singapore time). We are trying to find the missing people, but we believe they are all dead,” Chacheongsao Governor Chonlatee Yangtrong told reporters at the scene on Thursday.

According to local media, the passengers were four Thais and five Chinese, including two children aged 12 and 13.

More than 300 military personnel and volunteers have been deployed to the search and authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.

Authorities said they had found some body parts and parts of the plane.

But heavy rain makes the search difficult.

“We don’t plan to stop until we find them, although there are some flooded areas,” Chonlatee said.