Mother flies to Thai crash victim

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The mother a of 22-year-old woman who suffered severe burns in a plane crash in Thailand has flown out to Bangkok to be with her in hospital.

Bethan Jones, from Porth, Rhondda, remains unconscious and critical in a special unit with 50% burns.

She had been travelling with her boyfriend Alex Collins, 22, from Maesteg near Bridgend, who is missing.

A total of 89 people died in the crash in Phuket on Sunday. Is believed eight British nationals were among them.

Miss Jones is among the 42 people who survived the crash and the fire.

She was flown by military aircraft on Tuesday to a special unit in Bangkok General Hospital, which treats patients with more than 40% skin burns.

Her mother Jean Jones and uncle Terry Jones will join Miss Jones' father Stephen and brother Dewi who flew out earlier this week to be with her.

South Wales Police issued a statement on behalf of her family in which they said that Miss Jones remained in intensive care.

Bethan Jones was transferred to a specialist unit in Bangkok

"The family wish to thank all their family, friends, the community of Porth and Rhondda and all Bethan's friends and work colleagues for their kindness and sympathy," read the statement.

"The family are again asking the media to respect their privacy at this difficult time and are asking media not to contact them.

"They do not want to make any further statement."

Miss Jones and Mr Collins were just three days into a round-the-world trip, planned to last six months, when the air crash happened.

The couple had reportedly decided to fly to the holiday island of Phuket in the south after complaining that Bangkok was too polluted.

Mr Collins' parents, Richard and Margaret, had already appealed for privacy "at this extremely traumatic time".

On Tuesday they issued a statement through South Wales Police who have appointed family liaison officers to assist them.

Family, friends and neighbours said Mr Collins had been working in call centres over the past year to raise money for the trip around the world with his girlfriend.

The plane appeared to slide off the runway in Phuket, Thailand

Officials in Thailand said they were still trying to identify around 33 bodies recovered from the wreckage.

A total of 123 passengers, mostly foreigners, and seven crew were on board the flight.

Flight OG 269, operated by Thai budget airline One-Two-Go, had flown to Phuket from the Thai capital of Bangkok on Sunday.

It skidded off the runway in heavy rain, crashed and burst into flames.

The crash is Thailand's worst aviation disaster since December 1998 when 101 people died after a Thai Airways plane crashed on landing near another southern resort.

Airline officials said the pilot of the plane had been warned about strong winds before he tried to land.