Myanmar expands search area for victims of missing plane

Myanmar’s rescue forces on June 11 found 26 bodies of victims from the missing military plane, which is believed to have crashed last week in the Andaman Sea with 122 people aboard.
Rescue workers search for victims of the missing military plane in Dawei, Myanmar. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)
Rescue workers search for victims of the missing military plane in Dawei, Myanmar. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

The total number of recovered bodies has been brought to 59, including 26 males, 23 females, nine children and one unidentified, a report of the Myanmar News Agency cited a statement from the commander in chief’s office as saying.

All of the bodies were sent to a military hospital in Dawei for forensic examination.

Weather improved on June 11, making it possible for the search to continue at the sea off the southern coast of Myanmar, covering Maungmakan beach area and Launglonbot Island. Nine naval vessels, five aircraft and two helicopters of the Air Force as well as local vessels were mobilised.

On June 7, the military plane carrying 108 passengers and 14 crew members with 2.4 tonnes of cargo, lost contact and went missing on its flight from Myeik city to Yangon.

Authorised agencies have been searching for the plane’s black box to determine the cause of the accident.

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