No casualties in plane, train accidents

THAILAND, March 20 (TNA) - Two cases of alarming plane and train accidents took place in Thailand on Friday morning, but there were no reports of casualties. In the northern Chiang Mai Province, a Royal Thai Air Force plane, used for spraying water to put out forest fires, skidded off the runway while landing on the Chiang Mai Airport, following a sudden burst at one of its tyres. Royal Thai Air Force Spokesman Air Chief Marshal Monthon Satchukorn told journalists that the incident took place at about 10am, after the BT67 plane was returning from its first trip of the official mission, aimed to help relieve haze in wildfires-affected areas. The spokesman confirmed that the pilots and the plane were safe in the accident, in which the aircraft's front left wheel burst and slightly skidded off the runway, after it struck the runway. According to the spokesman, the damaged tyre has already been replaced and the plane has been thoroughly checked before, unless anything wrong found, resuming its firefighting operation. Also on Friday morning, at about 9:15am, a special train derailed on a southern route between Huay Sai Tai-Hua Hin stations, causing its four bogies to overturn but there were no reports of casualties. The cause of the accident was being investigated and the incident has resulted in rescheduled trains on the southern routes. (TNA)