It is believed 49 people, many of them tourists, have died in a plane crash in southern Laos.
Seven of the dead are French nationals, officials in Paris said. Six Australians, including a family with two young children, five Thais, three Koreans, two Vietnamese and one person each from Canada, the United States, China and Taiwan were also on the passenger list along with Lao nationals.
The plane, belonging to state-run Lao Airlines. came down in the Mekong River on a flight from the capital Vientiane, which is frequently used by foreign tourists.
Flight QV301 crashed in bad weather just before it was due to land at Pakse airport, Lao Airlines said on its Facebook page. None of the 44 passengers or five crew is thought to have survived the crash.
Thai TV pictures show a plane half-submerged in the river, AFP news agency reports.
The crashed plane is believed to be an ATR 72 turbo-prop – a French-Italian manufactured twin-engine plane commonly used by airlines in the region.
The crash is being investigated and a press conference has been arranged for later today.
