Bangkok , Thailand ( CNN ) -- A plane carrying senior government officials from Laos crashed Saturday in a province bordering Vietnam , authorities said . The country 's National Assembly President , Pany Yathotou , was on board the Laos air force plane , which was carrying 18 people , according to Lt. Gen. Nipat Thonglek , a Thai defense spokesman . Yathotou is the first woman to hold that high office . Other high ranking officials were on board , including the Laotian defense minister , who was traveling with his wife , the spokesman said . A regional governor was also on board the plane , which crashed in Xiangkhouang province north of Laos . The group was traveling to take part in the memorial celebration of a historic battle . A Thai television station showed photos of a jungle site in flames and victims in military uniforms . In October , a Laos Airlines propeller plane flight crashed near the Mekong River , killing all 49 on board , after flying through remnants of Typhoon Nari . CNN 's Millicent Smith contributed to this report .
The crash occurred in a province in the north , near Vietnam . Thai military official : 18 people were on board , including the Laotian defense minister . The group was traveling to take part in the memorial celebration .