Lao Airlines plane crashes into Mekong River, 49 dead, including Chinese

A Lao Airlines plane carrying at least 44 passengers — about half of them foreigners — and 5 crew members, plunged into the Mekong River in southern Laos on Wednesday in bad weather killing everybody on board, officials said. Seven French citizens, six Australians and five Thais were among those thought to have died when the turboprop ATR-72 came down around eight kilometres (five miles) from Pakse airport in Champasak province. Meanwhile,the Chinese embassy has confirmed that two Chinese citizens were killed when Lao Airlines flight QV301 crashed. [Photo/Xinhua]