Debris has been found in the sea near where a Myanmar military plane went missing with more than 100 soldiers and their families on board on Wednesday, a local official and air force source said. Navy ships and aircraft had been searching since the afternoon when the plane lost contact with air traffic controllers.
Most of those on board were thought to be women and children who were travelling from the southern city of Myeik to Yangon. "Now they have found pieces of the damaged plane in the sea 136 miles (218 km) away from Dawei city," said Naing Lin Zaw, a tourism official in Myeik, citing the military and adding that they were still searching the sea.
An air force source confirmed to AFP that a navy search and rescue ship had found debris in the sea an hour's flight south of Yangon, Myanmar's commercial capital. The commander in chief's office said the plane lost contact at about 1:35 pm (07:05 GMT) off Myanmar's southern coast.
A spokesman from the military's information team said two-thirds of passengers on board were women and children. "Some were on their way for medical checkups and to attend school," the colonel in Naypyidaw told AFP, refusing to confirm what rescuers had found and adding the search was ongoing.