12 injured as Thai plane skids off Bangkok runway

A Thai Airways passenger flight, with more than 280 people on board, skidded off the runway while landing at Bangkok's main airport on Sunday, injuring 12 passengers, nine of whom are Chinese.

The Chinese passengers were slightly injured, said Gao Zhenting, counselor at the Chinese embassy in Bangkok. One woman broke bones in her hand, Gao said, adding that "She is in good condition at the local hospital."

Seventy-seven Chinese people, in two tour groups from Guangdong province, were on board the plane.

"No one has asked about compensation yet but we are negotiating with Thai Airways about it, including a $93 fee for baggage delay of every passenger." said Chen Zhifeng, a guide from GZL International Travel Agency, one of the tour groups. The passengers have not received their baggage yet.

"Thai Airways will pay for all medical treatment," Chen said.

The other group was from Guangdong China Travel Service, which said it had contacted its tour guide to make sure no one from their group was injured.

"The rest of the tourists will enjoy their six-day trip in Thailand as scheduled."

The Airbus A330-300 that departed from Guangzhou experienced a "glitch" in its wheelbase while landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport late on Sunday, the airline said.

After the accident, workers on a crane blacked out the Thai Airways logo on the tail and body of the aircraft as part of an effort to protect its image, said an official, who was quoted by The Associated Press.

Most of the injuries occurred as passengers evacuated the aircraft, the airline added.

Chen recalled feeling a major shock while landing. "We saw the right wing of the plane touch the ground. There were smoke and sparks outside the cabin. My hand was injured while sliding down the plane's emergency chute," he said.

"After touchdown at Suvarnabhumi Airport, the landing gear malfunctioned and caused the aircraft to skid off the runway. Sparks were noticed from the vicinity of the right landing gear near the engine; the matter is under investigation," Thai Airways President Sorajak Kasemsuvan said in a statement on Monday.

"The captain took control of the aircraft until it came to a complete stop, and passengers were evacuated from the aircraft emergency exits," Sorajak said.

The aircraft was also carrying 14 crew members. The airline said on its Twitter account that the injured passengers were sent to hospitals. Officials said the runway at Suvarnabhumi would be temporarily closed.

A Thai Airways official, Smud Poom-on, said that blurring the logo after an accident was a recommendation from Star Alliance known as the "crisis communication rule", meant to protect the image of both the airline and other members of the global airline alliance.

The incident occurred less than two weeks after 20 passengers were injured when a Thai Airways Airbus A380 hit severe turbulence as it was descending at Hong Kong's airport.

AP-China Daily

Zhang Fan, Zhuang Na and Li Wenfang contributed to this story.

(China Daily 09/10/2013 page11)