Four British tourists were hurt today in a fatal plane crash on Ko Samui, one of Thailand’s most popular holiday islands.

The Britons were injured when a flight between two islands skidded off the runway in rainy conditions this morning. Several hours after the crash, rescue workers were still struggling to free some of the passengers, most of whom were holidaymakers heading for the isle’s idyllic white sandy beaches.

The plane slipped off the runway and crashed into a disused air traffic control tower, damaging the front of the aircraft and killing one of the pilots. The tower is now part of a fire fighting station.

Two of the Britons - a man and a woman - were among those taken to hospital with leg injuries after the accident. Two other Britons on board the Bangkok Airways’ ATR72 turboprop aircraft flight from Krabi in Thailand escaped with minor injuries.

The Britons taken to hospital were travelling with Preston-based tour operator Gold Medal, which is part of the Thomas Cook group.

They were among 68 passengers, two cabin crew and two pilots on board the plane which ended up embedded, nose down in the old control tower.

A spokeswoman for Gold Medal said the injured pair had initially been taken to separate hospitals but were now at the same hospital. It is thought that one has a broken leg and the other a broken ankle.

The spokeswoman said: “We have made contact with them and, while they have sustained some injuries, we understand they will make a full recovery. Our local representative has visited them and we will be offering all the help and support possible during this time.”

The British couple were among seven people who needed hospital treatment. These included the co-pilot who suffered leg injuries.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “We are aware of four British nationals that were injured in the crash in Koh Samui earlier today.”

Ko Samui is second only to Phuket as a popular Thai island destination, famed not just for its beaches but for its coconut plantations and waterfalls.

Major Colonel Sayan Sartsri of the Thai police said: “The heavy damage was at the front of the plane where the pilot was. It looks like he suffered from the impact,” he said this morning. “We still have a few people stuck in the middle of the plane, waiting to be evacuated.”

The Samui airport runway was closed after the accident and at least one Thai Airways flight was cancelled.

Ko Samui is located 300 miles (480 km) south of Bangkok in the Gulf of Thailand.

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