Myanmar blames bad weather for Fokk

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Subject: Myanmar blames bad weather for Fokker crash 


Myanmar blames bad weather for Fokker crash
02:51 a.m. Jul 03, 1999 Eastern
YANGON, July 3 (Reuters) - Myanmar's official news agency said on Saturday
bad weather caused the crash of a chartered Myanma Airways Fokker in the
west of the country.

Aviation industry sources said up to nine people aboard the turboprop were
killed in the crash near the town of Sittwe on Friday afternoon. Sittwe is
about 560 km (350 miles) northwest of Yangon.

There has been no official comment on casualties.

The Myanma News Agency said the Sittwe control tower lost contact with the
plane due to abrupt weather changes after the pilot informed them from a
distance of about ten miles (16 km) that he intended to land.

It said the crash site was on an island near Sittwe.

The plane had been on a chartered flight from Yangon to Sittwe carrying a
cargo of construction materials. Those aboard were crew members and
low-level government officials.

It was the third fatal crash of a state-owned Myanma Airways Fokker in 18
months.

Last August, a Fokker F-27 belonging to the airline crashed in bad weather
near the northeastern town of Tachilek, killing all 36 people aboard.

In January 1998, 14 people, including three foreigners, were killed when
another F-27 crashed near the town of Thandwe about 320 klm (200 miles)
northwest of Yangon.

The Dutch manufacturer of the aircraft went bankrupt in 1996.
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