Blast Destroys Jet Waiting for Thai Premier to Board

A passenger jet that Thailand’s prime minister was to board exploded and went up in flames 35 minutes before its scheduled departure Saturday, leaving one crew member dead and seven people injured.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was on his way to the Bangkok International Airport in a motorcade when the explosion triggered a massive blaze aboard the parked Boeing 737-400 Thai Airways plane.

Officials said they have not ruled out a bombing attack, even though there are no known threats to the prime minister’s life.

“The reason for the explosion is not clear. But we cannot yet conclude whether it was accident or intentional,” national police chief Gen. Pornsak Durongkabivoon said.

“I hope it was an accident, but for now we will set up an investigation,” said Thaksin, a telecommunications tycoon who took office last month after his Thais Love Thais party won a Jan. 6 election.

Cabin crew members and airline staff were on the aircraft, preparing for the 70-minute flight to Chiang Mai. None of the 149 listed passengers, including Thaksin, or the pilots had boarded, and the engines had not been turned on.

Seven crew and ground staff were injured and the body of one crew member was found inside the wreckage, said Lt. Gen. Jongrak Juthanont, the deputy national police chief.