Singapore, Oct 16 (IANS): All 44 people on board a Lao Airlines plane were killed when it crashed in southern Laos Wednesday afternoon

Flight number QV 301, an ATR twin turboprop aircraft, with 39 passengers and five crew members on board, crashed into the Mekong river at 4 p.m. when it was attempting to land at Pakse in the southern Lao province of Champassak, the Bangkok Post reported quoting Thailand foreign ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee.

The plane, which had five Thai passengers on board, had left Laos's capital Vientiane at 2.45 p.m. and was on its way to Pakse, the capital of Champassak province.

"We have been informed that all Thai passengers are dead," Wannamethee said citing officials in Laos.

The site of the crash has been identified as Don Khong in Phonethong district near Pakse.

Pakse is the largest city in Champassak.

According to an earlier Xinhua report, the crash occurred when the plane was attempting to land in bad weather conditions.