The airplane crash in Thailand kills six police officers

Six police officers were killed in Thailand after their plane crashed into the sea during a parachute test flight, police said.

The small plane was seen colliding into the water around 08:00 local time (01:00 GMT) on Friday in Cha-Im, an area of ​​a coastal resort about 130 km (80 miles) southwest of Bangkok.

The Royal Thai police said in a statement on Facebook that five of the officers had died at the scene, and later died in hospital.

Authorities are considering the record of the aircraft black box data to determine the cause of the crash.

Local media said the aircraft hit the water about 100 meters from the shore, while the footage, shared online, show that people were climbing into the sea to reach the site of the crash.

The dead officers were three pilots, one engineer and two mechanics, police confirmed.

“The Royal Thai police expresses its deepest condolences to brave officers who have lost their lives,” the statement added.

Police chief Kitrat Fanfeth, who visited the scene with other employees, said the initial investigations show that the aircraft was heading at home, but his pilots were able to maneuver him to the sea, avoiding more deaths.

The photos later on Friday showed the remains of the aircraft lying larger in shallow water.