Myanmar plane crashed due to ‘bad weather’: Military

By Kyaw Ye Lynn

YANGON, Myanmar

Myanmar authorities said Tuesday that bad weather caused the crash of a military plane, the deadliest aviation accident to occur in the country’s history.

On July 7, the Chinese-made Y8-200F cargo plane was carrying 124 people, including 17 children, when it crashed into the Andaman Sea during a weekly flight to Yangon from the coastal town of Myeik in southern Tanintharyi region.

The flight data recorder (Black Box) and CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder) were recovered in retrieved tail of the missing plane during the search and rescue operations.

Black box data was examined by Myanmar Accident Investigation Bureau in cooperation with Directorate of Defence Aviation and Air Force Safety (DDAAF) of Australia and Chinese aircraft manufacturer.

On Tuesday, the Office of Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing said the plane crashed due to bad weather and not due to the engine failure or any other reason.

“Bad weather caused the plane to lose control before crashing into the sea,” the office said in a press release.

A senior military officer at Southern Military Command told Anadolu Agency that they have stopped the search and rescue work since earlier this month after 103 bodies were pulled from the sea.

“It is impossible to find the remaining bodies as the rainy season has already started,” said the official on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

“All 124 people aboard the flight were believed to be dead,” he said over the phone on Tuesday evening.