Unconfirmed reports indicate that Lao Airlines is the operator of an ATR 72 turboprop has crashed during a service in Laos.

While the identity of the aircraft type has been confirmed by a source familiar with the situation, details of the accident remain sketchy.

China's Xinhua news agency states that the aircraft was transporting 40 passengers and that it crashed into the Mekong river, in southern Laos, during a local flight from the capital Vientiane.

It has identified the flight involved as QV301. There is no clear information on casualties or the extent of damage.

Source: FlightGlobal.com