Relatives to identify Phuket crash dead

PHUKET, Thailand (CNN) -- Relatives of the 89 people killed in Sunday's plane crash in Phuket continued to arrive in the Thai resort town on Tuesday to try to identify their loved ones' remains.

Most of those killed were foreign nationals, and about 36 of the bodies still have yet to be identified, according to Thailand's state-run Thai News Agency (TNA).

All of the unidentified victims were foreign nationals, it reported.

The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok said that five Americans were among those killed when the One-Two-Go jet crashed in bad weather as it landed at Phuket's airport on Sunday.

U.S. officials had previously confirmed that four Americans died in the crash, and one survived.

Eight British nationals are believed to have died, according to Foreign Secretary David Miliband. He said three were still in hospital, with one in a critical condition.

Thailand's Public Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla said that of the 41 survivors who remain hospitalized, 38 were in stable condition and three in critical condition, according to TNA.

Flight 269 was carrying 123 passengers and seven crew members when it left Bangkok for Phuket on Sunday afternoon.

Nationalities of the survivors include British, American, Swedish, Iranian, Austrian, Australian, Thai, German, Irish, Italian, Israeli and Dutch, authorities said. Watch a survivor recall the fiery horror »

One man who arrived in Phuket on Tuesday from Paris described a frustrating process of trying to communicate with Thai officials in his effort to locate the remains of his brother.

For some families, DNA testing may be the only way to positively identify their relatives.

Meanwhile, Buddhist, Christian and Muslim leaders gathered outside Phuket's airport on Tuesday to remember those killed.

The investigation into what caused the crash continues, but the strong winds and rain are a suspected factor. U.S. officials are aiding in the investigation because the aircraft -- a Boeing MD-82 -- was manufactured in the United States.

One air traffic controller at Phuket airport said pilots were warned of possible wind shear, which is dramatic changes in wind speed and direction.

Airport officials said that the wind at the time of the crash was 17 kilometers an hour (11 miles an hour) with stronger gusts, but no planes were delayed or diverted because of the weather conditions.

The decision to land was the pilot's alone, according to Phuket's airport manager.

"Air traffic control would give weather information to pilot and warning information but the final decision is dependent on the pilot," Pornchai Eua-Aree said.

One-Two-Go officials would not speculate on what may have happened, saying they will wait for the findings of the investigation.

But they did say their aircraft were regularly checked and maintained, and denied some media reports that questioned whether the discount airline employed more inexperienced pilots for lower salaries.

One-Two-Go is one of about 40 low-cost airlines operating in Asia, and the industry will be watching closely for the results of the investigation into the crash. E-mail to a friend

CNN's Andrew Stevens contributed to this report