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PHUKET, Thailand: Investigators in Phuket are examining the possible causes of Sunday's plane crash, with human error surfacing as a possible factor.
A top Thai aviation official said the Indonesian pilot, who was among those killed, tried to land despite being warned of dangerous winds.
Grieving relatives have gathered on the Thai island to claim the bodies of their loved ones.
There was an outpouring of grief at a morgue in Phuket by relatives of the victims who did not survive the crash of One-Two-Go flight 269 on Sunday.
And in Bangkok Hospital on the resort island, family members of survivors are anxiously awaiting news on their loved ones.
Many of the injured are foreign tourists.
Kongkiat Kespechara, director of Bangkok Hospital in Phuket, said: "Right now, we are taking care of 29 patients and the most serious cases are four patients in ICU (intensive care unit). Today we have a plan to evacuate, to send the patients to the centre. We have categorised them into three groups – patients suffering from burns, fractures and minor injuries. Right now, if we can keep the patients' conditions stable, we will save their lives."
The most seriously injured from the crash of flight OG 269 are the burn victims – some with over 60 percent of their bodies burnt.
Doctors are evaluating them on a case-by-case basis, and they will need to be carefully moved to Bangkok where they can receive specialised care at a burns unit.
The hospital is seeking expert advice on whether some of their patients are well enough to travel.
"Everyday we have to scrub their skin and if they improve, we have to do a skin graft," said Kespechara.
The mother of an Australian victim said her son is suffering from major injuries.
"At the moment, all I want to do is to get hold of him and see if we can get him on a plane, at some stage, back to Perth," said Muriel Robertson.
89 people died in the crash.
Authorities here said all the bodies have been recovered, but many have not been identified.
Foreign forensic experts from countries like Israel and Iran have arrived in Phuket to help speed up the process.
Clay Adler, Consul from the United States Embassy in Bangkok, said: "We hope that it will be in the next few days. Once all the bodies are identified, they will be able to release them."
Religious ceremonies have been conducted in front of the plane wreckage at Phuket International Airport.
Air traffic controllers have said the Indonesian pilot was warned of dangerous winds near the runway before he landed the plane.
Investigators are now focusing on radio exchanges between traffic control and the pilot shortly before the crash.
It is hoped more clues will be found in the plane's black boxes which have been sent to the United States for analysis.
- CNA/so
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