Debris has been
found in the Andaman Sea from Myanmar military plane carrying more than 100
people that went missing Wednesday, officials said.
“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.
The plane, which was
carrying mostly family members of military personnel, was traveling to Yangon
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.
There has been
conflicting information on the number of people on board, with estimates
ranging from 90 to 106 passengers, and 14 crew members.
The Chinese-made
Y-8-200F plane was bought in March of last year and had logged 809 flying
hours, the army said.