Half of crashed Thai plane passengers were foreign

BANGKOK, Sep 16 (Reuters) Around half of the 123 passengers on a budget airliner that crashed on landing on the Thai holiday isle of Phuket were foreigners, an Airports of Thailand official in Bangkok told Reuters.

Most of the foreigners were European, the official added.

Phuket deputy governor Vorapot Rajsima told Channel 9 television as many as 90 per cent of those on board were believed to have died.

REUTERS SYU PM1730