Search Efforts Continue on the Fourth Day
Four days after a Myanmar military flight went missing with 122 people on board, the country’s navy ships continue to search for bodies of the victims and traces of the plane amid bad weather.
Following the tragedy, the government dispatched six navy ships and three airplanes as part of the search and rescue operation.
A number of bodies have been recovered by the military since the search operation was launched on Thursday.
Media reports say the military has retrieved 33 dead bodies, mostly women and several children.
The military could not pinpoint the cause of the crash because there was no report of a mayday call. However, many say the plane could have broken up in mid air, based on the dispersed nature of the wreckage.
The Crash
The military air traffic department lost communication with the flight on Wednesday, half an hour into the short routine trip. The aircraft disappeared along the country’s southern coast last Wednesday.
The aircraft, a Y-8 transporter made in China, was carrying 14 crew and 108 passengers. Most of the passengers were military personnel and family members, including children.
The aircraft was purchased from China in March in 2016 and has a record of 809 flying hours.
Bad Weather Hampers Search Operation
Bad weather became a problem on the third day of the search efforts. But nothing could stop the country’s navy ships and the military continue the search operation amid the bad weather.
Navy ships and local fishermen have battled high winds as they search for the wreckage in the storm-hit Andaman sea.
Records of Aviation Disasters
Many say if all passengers perished in the plane crash, it would be among the country’s worst aviation disasters.
But the recent plane crash was not the first Myanmar aviation incident in recent years. In fact, two plane crash incidents were recorded last year.
In February 2016, the five-member crew of an air force plane died when the aircraft crashed in the capital of Nay Pyi Taw. A few months later, a military helicopter crashed in central Myanmar, killing three officers.
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