Burmese military plane carrying 116 passengers disappears

A MYANMAR military plane carrying 116 passengers has “disappeared”.

An army chief has confirmed the news after the plane left the southern coastal town of Myeik in the early afternoon and was bound for Myanmar’s largest city of Yangon.

The Myanmar air force Shaanxi Y-8 has lost contact with radar between the southern city of Myeik and Yangon, local reports say.

The commander-in-chief’s office said in a statement:”Communication was lost suddenly when it reached about 20 miles west of Dawei town.”

An extensive search is now underway for the plane, which was flying over the Andaman Sea when it went missing.

A spokesman added: “Communication was lost suddenly at about 1.35 pm (7.05pm GMT) when it reached about 20 miles west of Dawei town.”

An airport source said the plane was carrying 105 pasengers and 11 crew.

They are thought to be the families of military men based in the coastal region.

Another source says they believe it is a “techincal fault” because the weather is fine.

The Foreign Office advise against all but essential travel to the north-east of the country due to “continued risk of armed conflict” and political unrest.

 

 

Source: express.co.uk