Deadly Passenger Jet Crash in Burma

Posted December 25th, 2012 at 2:25 am (UTC-5)
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Two people are dead after a Burmese passenger jet was forced to make an emergency landing Tuesday morning in eastern Shan state.

The Air Bagan plane, carrying 65 passengers and six crew members on a flight from Rangoon, landed on a road about three kilometers from Heho airport. Shan state is home to Inle Lake, a popular tourist destination.

The dead includes an 11-year-old passenger and a man riding a motorcycle on the road. Officials say 11 people were injured, including the pilot and four foreign passengers. The cause of the crash is not known, but the French news agency is quoting a government official who says the crew reported a fire in one of the plane's engines as it approached the airport.

Air Bagan is one of five private airlines operating domestic routes in Burma. It is owned by business tycoon Tay Za, who is reported to have had close links to Burma's former military government.