Condolences sent to Laos

The Party Central Committee, National Assembly, President and Government of Viet Nam on Saturday sent a message of condolences to their Lao counterparts following the crash of a military plane that killed at least five high-ranking officials of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and government.

The accident of the AN-74TK-300 that belongs to the Lao Air Force occurred in Nadi village, Pec district in Xieng Khouang province at 7:00

The Lao officials were on assignment at the time.

"We greatly mourn the sudden deaths of Politburo member, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Douangchay Phichit; LPRP Central Committee's Secretary and Minister of Public Security Thoongbane Sengaphone; LPRP Central Committee's Secretary and head of the LPRP Central Committee's Commission for Propaganda and Training Cheuang Sombounkhanh; LPRP Central Committee's Secretary and Secretary of the Party Committee and Governor of Vientiane Sukhan Mahalad and some other senior officials," the message said.

It added that this was a great loss to the Party, State, National Assembly and Government of Laos as well as to their families and to Vietnamese leaders and people