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| Laos Defence Minister Douangchay Phichit's plane crashes | Laos Defence Minister Douangchay Phichit's plane crashes |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| A military plane carrying Laos Defence Minister and Deputy PM Douangchay Phichit and other senior officials has crashed in the north of the country. | |
| It is thought the aircraft came down in the province of Xiangkhouang, nearly 500km (311 miles) from the capital Vientiane where its journey began. | |
| Up to 20 people, including the defence minister's wife and the governor of Vientiane, were reportedly on board. | Up to 20 people, including the defence minister's wife and the governor of Vientiane, were reportedly on board. |
| There are no confirmed reports of casualties. | |
| But the defence ministry permanent secretary in neighbouring Thailand, Nipat Thonglek, said the Laos military had told him that five senior officials on board - including the defence minister - had been killed. | |
| The officials are believed to have been travelling to an official ceremony in Xiangkhouang. | The officials are believed to have been travelling to an official ceremony in Xiangkhouang. |
| The official Laos news agency KPL confirmed the crash, which it said involved an Antonov AN- 74TK-300 plane operated by the Laos air force. | The official Laos news agency KPL confirmed the crash, which it said involved an Antonov AN- 74TK-300 plane operated by the Laos air force. |
| It said the cause of the accident was under investigation but gave no firm information about the passengers or any casualties. | It said the cause of the accident was under investigation but gave no firm information about the passengers or any casualties. |
| In October last year a civilian jet operated by Lao Airlines crashed into the Mekong River in bad weather, killing all 49 people on board. | In October last year a civilian jet operated by Lao Airlines crashed into the Mekong River in bad weather, killing all 49 people on board. |
| Laos, a landlocked country of about seven million people, has an authoritarian communist one-party government and is one of Asia's poorest nations. | Laos, a landlocked country of about seven million people, has an authoritarian communist one-party government and is one of Asia's poorest nations. |
| It has a poor air safety record. Last October a civilian airplane crashed into the Mekong river, killing all 49 people on board. | |
| In 1998, a Vietnamese military aircaraft crashed in Xiangkhouang. All passengers on board, including a senior Vietnamese general, were killed. |