A helicopter crashed into the Andaman Sea off Burma's western coast on Monday, killing three people.

Eight other passengers were rescued and taken to hospitals.

Malaysia's oil and gas company Petronas had rented the helicopter to fly to off-shore natural gas drilling rigs in the Yetagun gas and oil field.

The French company that owns the helicopter, Heli-Union, confirmed the crash and death toll in an interview with VOA's Burmese Service, but the company spokesman said no other details were available.

Petronas is developing the Yetagun field in cooperation with Burma's Energy Ministry and British, Thai and Japanese companies.

Burma is one of the poorest countries in Asia. Its government controls sales of natural resources, such as oil, natural gas and timber, and relies heavily on them for revenue.