Military aircraft carrying 122 missing people in Myanmar

The plane carrying 122 people, mostly Myanmar soldiers and family members, fell after taking off in the south of the country.

The Y-8-200 transport aircraft of Myanmar army departed from the coastal town of Myeik, in the south of the country, on 13:06 (1:36 am Hanoi time) to Yangon, the country's largest city. However, he lost contact with the ground 29 minutes after takeoff, flying over the Andaman Sea at an altitude of 5,500m, at a point 70km west of Dawei town.

Officials gave conflicting numbers about the number of people on the plane. The new Myanmar military update said there were 122 people, including 108 Myanmar soldiers and family members, along with 14 crew members. Passengers include 15 children, 58 adults, 35 soldiers and officers.

A Y-8-200F aircraft of Myanmar army at Rakhine airport in August 2015.(Photo: AFP).

AFP quoted Naing Lin Zaw, a travel official in Myeik city, said the Burmese army had found debris of the sea plane, 218km from Dawei. An unnamed air force source also confirmed that the search and rescue vessel had discovered the aircraft's debris. British Mirror Mirror gave unofficial information that 15 people survived the plane crash.

However, unlike the AFP news, Reuters sources said they have not found the aircraft."We have not seen the trace of the plane," Naing Myo Thwin, president of the local funeral association, told Reuters by phone.

Military spokesman in Naypyidaw declined to confirm what the search team had discovered. He pointed out that the search continued after dark.

Immediately after learning of the plane's disappearance, the Myanmar military deployed six naval ships and three military aircraft to search. About 300-400 people, including firefighters, doctors, lifeguards gather on the banks of the nearby town of Launglon, near the naval area that is looking for.

"We don't know exactly what happened to the plane after it lost contact , " said Kyaw Kyaw Htey, a civil aviation official at Myeik Airport.

General Myanmar Myat Min Oo said it was raining while the plane moved but the rain was not heavy. Meanwhile, an airport source said the weather was normal."We think this is a technical error. The weather here is normal , " the source commented.

The black circle shows the position of the plane losing contact with the ground.(Graphic: CNA).

The Y-8 is a medium-sized and medium-range transport aircraft produced by the Shaanxi Aircraft Group in China, based on the Soviet Antonov An-12. It has become one of the most popular transport aircraft for both military and civilian purposes in China. Beijing exports these aircraft to Myanmar, Sudan and Sri Lanka.

The plane crashed was purchased in March last year and flew 809 hours. These aircraft were used to transport soldiers from remote areas to the city once a month.

Aircraft in the journey from Myeik to Yangon, crashed near Dawei.(Graphics: asiapearltravels).

Last February, five people were killed because a military plane caught fire shortly after takeoff and fell in Naypyidaw.