UK plane crash victims 'planned to marry in Thailand'

A British couple thought to be among those who died in the Thai air disaster were planning to marry during their holiday, neighbours and friends said.

Susan Howell and 41-year-old Stephen Saunby from Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, were on holiday with another couple, Neil and Helen Slater, when they decided to take the ill-fated flight from Bangkok to the tourist resort of Phuket.

All four are believed to have died in the crash.

At least 89 people died when the budget One-Two-Go Airlines’ flight crashed and burst into flames as it struggled to land in bad weather on Sunday evening.

Some 123 passengers, mostly foreigners, and seven crew were on board the flight, which is believed to have claimed the lives of eight British nationals.

Neil Slater’s former wife reportedly confirmed today that Susan Howell and Stephen Saunby went to Thailand to marry.

Jane Chudley, 40, the mother of Mr Slater’s 18-year-old son Luke, told the Sun: “Both of the couples went to Thailand for a dream trip.

“Steve and Sue actually went there to get married, and Harry and Helen were their best friends and went out as their witnesses.”

Neighbours of Miss Howell also believed she was heading to Phuket to marry Mr Saunby.

Next door neighbour Sarah Bailey, 27, said last night: “I know her and Steve were talking about getting married and people round here are saying that’s what they were doing out there.”

Ms Bailey said Miss Howell had a six-year-old daughter called Courtney and they had lived in the house in Trent Street, Scunthorpe, for about two years.

She said: “I called Susan Suey. She was really friendly with a lovely little girl.

“It’s quite a shock. You just don’t associate these things with people you know.

“She was just nice, quite chatty. I can’t believe it.”

Another Trent Street neighbour said: “I know her and Steve had been planning to get married and I think that’s what they were going to do in Thailand.”

Tributes were also paid to Neil and Helen Slater, also from Scunthorpe.

Mr Slater, 43, who was also known as Harry, was a former landlord of the Dog & Rat in Broughton, North Lincolnshire, and a well known publican in the area.

Helen’s mother, Heather Spindley, and brother David Spindley, and Neil’s parents, Edna and Noel Slater, paid tribute to the “spontaneous” couple.

In a statement they said: “Neil and Helen were really looking forward to their holiday.

“They have been together for nine years and got married in Thailand in August 2003.

“They are totally devoted to each other. They work together 24 hours a day and are a great team, they do everything together.”

The couple had been in the pub trade for many years, most recently co-owning and managing the Yarborough Hotel in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.

Dave Gamble, the current landlord of the Dog & Rat, said Mr Slater had been a very popular character.

He said: “He was a lovely chap. Everybody liked him. This was his first pub about seven-and-a-half years ago. He was here about two years.

“He was very popular in Brigg, Scunthorpe and Broughton.”

A Humberside Police spokeswoman confirmed they had appointed four family liaison officers who had made contact with the relatives of the two couples.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband said three Britons remained in hospital, one in a critical condition following the crash on Sunday evening.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said 27 British officials were now in Phuket helping those affected by the crash.

A retired couple from Bristol are also believed to be among the victims.

Grandparents Judy and Anthony Weston, both in their 60s, were in Thailand for a holiday before emigrating to Australia for their retirement.

Also missing was 22-year-old recent graduate Alex Collins, from Maesteg, south Wales, who was on a six-month trip around the world with his girlfriend Bethan Jones.

Hospital officials earlier named Miss Jones, 22, from Porth, south Wales, as well as Peter James Hill, 35, from Manchester, and Ashley Scott Harrow, 27, from Northern Ireland, as among the casualties being treated at the hospital.

The hospital later confirmed Miss Jones had been transferred to a hospital in Bangkok which is understood to offer specialist treatment for burns.

University of Ulster student Aaron Toland, 22, from Londonderry, was confirmed dead on Monday by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs.

His friend, Christopher Cooley, from Londonderry, was also on the MD-82 plane and was being treated in intensive care in hospital.

Briton Colin Denny is also believed to be among the dead. His Thai wife, Sawitree Denny, is thought to have survived.

Aviation experts said crash investigators would concentrate on the weather conditions at Phuket.

They speculated the captain, who had tried to abandon the landing, might have been hit by a sudden and potentially dangerous change in wind speed and direction just as he was about to touch down.

Experts stressed the MD-82 was a reliable plane and the decision to try to land would have been the captain’s alone.

But they added that investigators would want to find out what information about the weather the crew received before coming in to land.