San Hlan, June 8 (AFP): Hundreds of people gathered solemnly on a beach in southern Myanmar on Thursday awaiting news of their loved ones as rescuers worked to pull bodies from the Andaman Sea after a military plane crashed with more than 120 people on board. Navy ships and air force planes have been scouring the waves since late Wednesday afternoon, when the aircraft disappeared en route from the southern city of Myeik to the commercial hub of Yangon. The commander-in-chief’s office said 10 corpses, including five children, had been retrieved from the sea since a navy boat discovered wreckage from the plane early Thursday off the coastline near Dawei town. A local police source, who asked not to be named, put the tally closer to 20. Hundreds of locals, relatives and NGO workers endured an agonising wait on the rain-battered San Hlan beach accompanied by stony-faced soldiers, as helicopters flew overhead heading towards military vessels just visible on the horizon. “My cousin’s sister’s family was in the plane crash -- her husband, her child and herself,” Kyaw Swar Myint, 44, from Dawei, told AFP. “We heard news that the helicopter was now transporting about 20 dead bodies to the beach, so we are waiting here.” A military officer said the strong currents meant boats cannot make shore, so many of the bodies may have to be airlifted to land. The Chinese-made Shaanxi Y8 plane was carrying a total of 122 people when it it disappeared on Wednesday afternoon during a routine flight, according to the latest military tally. More than half of the passengers were from military families.
