The names of eight Israelis missing in Sunday's tragic plane crash in Thailand have been released for publication after a flight out of Bangkok crashed while trying to land in a monsoon on the popular resort island of Phuket. Representatives from the Foreign Ministry, ZAKA, Magen David Adom and the Israel Police are all on the scene.

According to Ynet, the missing are:

• Adi Naim (25) of Kfar Yona

• Rotem Naori (24) of Netanya, who wed Adi two weeks ago

• Tzachi (Itzik) Biton of Kfar Yona

• Hofit Ilya of Kfar Yonah, who married Tzachi five months ago. The couple joined Adi and Rotem on their honeymoon.

• Lili Alon (23) of Gilo, Jerusalem

• Rachel Topan (23) of Gilo, Jerusalem

• Hila Gershoni (23) of Holon

• Tal Feldman of Rishon LeTzion

Two Israelis are known to have survived, albeit with injuries. Vladimir and Isabella Freilichman are both hospitalized with multiple injuries, and doctors are reportedly not optimistic about moving them to Israel. Ynet quoted Vladimir's sister Yelena as saying,"They have broken bones and they need to stay in the hospital." She added that the phone lines are "not always working" and that it was difficult to reach them. "I am still worried and want to see them home," she said. 

Two recently married Israeli couples who were among the missing were traveling on their long-awaited honeymoons to the island known as the “Pearl of the Andaman [Sea]” for its lovely beaches.

After a long day in which families desperately tried to locate loved ones who had traveled to the idyllic resort island, a total of 89 people were confirmed dead and 41 were hospitalized with various injuries.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-82 plane was one of Thailand’s domestic “One Two Go” fleet. Both “black boxes” (flight data recorders) from the doomed flight were recovered and will hopefully provide information about what caused the crash, although officials said it might take up to a year to analyze the data.

A number of officials pointed to the poor weather conditions as having been at least part of the cause.

Kajit Habnanonda, president of Orient-Thai Airlines (which owns One Two Go), said the heavy rains may have caused the plane to skid off the runway, further complicating a problematic landing. Wind shear, he said, may have been the primary cause of the crash. The phenomenon, a rapid change in wind speed, can affect takeoffs and landings and sometimes causes accidents.

Chaisak Angsuwan, director-general of the Air Transport Authority of Thailand also expressed the opinion that the bad weather may have caused the crash. “The visibility was poor as the pilot attempted to land,” he explained. “He decided to make a go-around but the plane lost balance and crashed. It was torn into two parts.”

This is not the first bad-weather disaster in Thailand to claim the lives of Israeli holiday-goers.

A 26-year-old honeymooner from Akko, Nissim Lugasi died two weeks ago when a ferry carrying dozens of passengers from Maya Bay to Kohpipi capsized in rough seas about a mile from shore. Lugasi’s wife of two weeks, Odelia, survived the disaster along with 34 other Israelis, including one who was hospitalized in serious condition.

That day-long tour of seven Thai beaches ended in tragedy when the ship, ferrying some 60 tourists around the coast, capsized in a storm. It was believed the accident was caused by a combination of mechanical failure and bad weather marked by high waves and driving rain.

Seven Israelis also died in the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed some 300,000 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. In Thailand alone, at least 5,400 people died, including some 2,500 tourists. Another 2,400 foreign tourists in the country were injured in the disaster.