Wednesday, 28 May 2008

Cambodian official backs off plane crash report

An airplane has crashed in the remote province of Kampot in southeast Cambodia, a local military commander said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Graphics

The US Daily
05/27/08

By Ossian Shine

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - A senior Cambodian military official backed off earlier claims on Tuesday that a plane had crashed in the remote province of Kampot.

"I would like to make a clarification. I earlier received firm information from the airport that there was a plane crash," Kung Mony, deputy commander of the southeast Asian nation's Air Force, told Reuters.

"But now I cannot either confirm or deny that that was the case," he said.

Another official at Phnom Penh's international airport said: "We haven't had any plane crash."
Earlier, Kung Mony said a foreign plane had crashed in the province, but was unable to provide any details.

Villagers in one district told Reuters they had heard a loud explosion.

(Reporting by Ek Madra; Editing by Darren Schuettler and Sanjeev Miglani)

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