Myanmar’s military said Thursday a navy ship found three bodies and pieces of plane debris believed to be from a military aircraft that went missing Wednesday with 122 people on board.
A spokesman said the bodies included a man, woman and a child. There were also pieces of luggage, life jackets and a plane wheel found in the waters about 35 kilometers from the southern city of Launglon.
Nine naval ships and a group of airplanes and helicopters were sent out Thursday to search for the Chinese-made Y-8-200F plane, which Myanmar bought in March of last year and which the military said had 809 flying hours.
The plane, carrying mostly family members of military personnel, was traveling from the city of Myeik, also known as Mergui, in southeastern Myanmar on the Andaman coast. Most of the journey to Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, would have been over the Andaman Sea.
“We found debris around Horseshoe Bay,” Tanintharyi Division Border Affairs and Security Minister Colonel Kyaw Zeya told VOA Burmese, saying their team went there as soon as locals tipped them on the location.
“Our rescue team includes police officers, a fire brigade team, and local Samaritans. First aid and paramedics teams also have set up a makeshift hospital at the nearest beach to take care of survivors,” he added.
VOA Burmese contributed to this report.
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