Cambodian prime minister blasts airline crash search leaders

All 22 passengers and crew of the AN-24 died in last Monday's crash, including the Russian pilot, three Czechs, 13 South Korean tourists and the Cambodian passengers and crew. Two of the Korean victims were siblings, aged 5 and 1.

The wreckage of the plane was finally discovered in thick jungle last Wednesday and all bodies were recovered the same day.

Speaking at a conference on coping with national disasters, Hun Sen claimed that if searchers had followed the directions of senior leaders they may still be looking for the PMT Air flight, which went down in bad weather between the northern temple town of Siem Reap and the south-western beach resort of Sihanoukville.

"If you have no map in hand you cannot be generals any more. Please, get a map," Hun Sen said in a speech broadcast on national media.

"You have stars but no maps," he added, in a reference to the generals' insignia marking their high rank, and suggested they might as well sell their military stars by the kilo to local scrap metal dealers.

Details of the last minutes of the lives of the passengers and crew of the nearly 30-year-old Antanov flown by the small local charter company remain sketchy.

A black box-type flight recorder was recovered at the scene of the crash and South Korea has said it has sent aviation experts to assist in the investigation into the tragedy.//Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA)