Lao defense minister killed in plane crash

A plane carrying senior Lao government officials crashed Saturday in a forested area of the Southeast Asian country, killing the defense minister and at least four other people, officials said. The cause of the crash was not immediately known.

About 20 people were believed to be on board the air force plane that left Vientiane, the capital, early Saturday morning to bring the group to an official ceremony in the northeastern province of Xiangkhoung, about 290 miles away, said Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee.

The Russian-made Antonov AN-7KTK300 crashed in the Pek district of Xiangkhoung province, where authorities were "helping to rescue the survivors," according to Lao news agency KPL, which cited an announcement from the prime minister's office. The report did not say how many people died in the crash or survived.

Among those confirmed dead were Defense Minister Douangchay Phichit and his wife, according to Thai defense ministry secretary Nipat Thonglek.

Douangchay was also one of the country's deputy prime ministers and a high-ranking member of Laos' Politburo, the main decision-making body for the authoritarian nation's ruling Communist Party. Other fatalities included the governor of Vientiane, Sukhan Mahalad, and two other senior officials, Nipat said.

Lao National Television showed images of the mangled wreckage in a forested area with smoke rising from its badly charred remains. The footage showed rescuers pulling away pieces of debris and trying to dig into the fuselage with shovels, as medical crews stood by watching.

Wire services