MYANMAR: Mass Funeral For Victims Of Plane Crash

Heartbroken relatives gathered Friday for the funeral rites of the first victims of a military plane crash off Myanmar's southern coast, as search teams battled heavy rains and churning waves to find scores more people presumed lost at sea.

Most of the 31 dead retrieved from the Andaman Sea so far have been women and children after a search by navy ships, planes and helicopters hampered by sweeping rains.

A total of 122 people were on board the Chinese-made Shaanxi Y8 military aircraft when it crashed on Wednesday during a routine flight from the southern city of Myeik to Myanmar's commercial hub of Yangon.

Hundreds gathered in a cemetrey outside Dawei town on Friday afternoon to bid goodbye to loved ones whose bodies had been pulled from the water the previous day on San Hlan beach, a two hour drive away.

Chanting from Buddhist monks filled a hall used for the ceremonies as 10 flimsy wooden coffins were laid out.

One woman fainted and had to be carried out and many others broke down wailing as the service went on.

Mourners then moved outside and watched as black smoke from the cremated coffins poured out of nearby towers, drifting across the sky.

My husband identified my nephew's body. I'm so sorry, said a tearful Khine Zar Win, who lost her youngest brother, his wife and two-year-old nephew in the plane crash.

Another mourner, Aye Aye, said five members of her friend's family were killed in the crash.

I couldn't sleep when I heard about them, she said. We lived together like a family for 15 years in the military before my husband retired.

I have no words, added one woman, whose daughter and grandson were on the plane.We are so sad.

More than half of the passengers on the aircraft were from military families, including 15 children, according to the army. The rest were soldiers and flight crew.

The military said on Friday it had identified 16 of the dead so far.

There has been no official explanation for the cause of the crash, one of several deadly incidents involving Myanmar military aircraft in recent years.

Monsoon season brings heavy rains and strong winds every year, but there were no reports of major storms along the plane's flight route when it went missing.

Fishing boats helped navy vessels and military aircraft as they continued to hunt for the wreckage on Friday, despite tides reaching over 2.5 metres, the military said in a statement.

But by the afternoon officials had not announced the retrieval of any more bodies.

We are having difficulty because of the strong winds and tide, Major Aung Win, police chief of Launglon township said.

The military said the aircraft was flying above 18,000 feet (5,486 metres) when it lost contact with air traffic control at 1:35 pm (07:05 GMT) on Wednesday.

The military has described the captain as a seasoned pilot with more than 3,000 hours flying experience.

Gerry Soejatman, an independent aviation expert based in Jakarta, said initial information indicated something went wrong not long after or just before reaching cruising altitude.

Myanmar's former junta bought several Y8s, four-engine turboprop jets used for medium range flights -- during their 50 years of isolated rule, when they were squeezed by Western sanctions.

The plane's maker, China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation, has pledged to assist with investigations into the crash.

Several pieces of debris that appeared to be from the wreckage, including tyres, life jackets and some luggage, have also been salvaged.

MYANMAR: Bodies Retrieved From Military Plane Debris

Hundreds of people gathered on a beach in southern Myanmar on Thursday desperately waiting for news of their loved ones as the first bodies arrived from the wreck of a military plane that crashed with more than 120 people on board.

Navy ships and air force planes have been scouring the waves since Wednesday afternoon, when the aircraft disappeared en route from the southern city of Myeik to the commercial hub of Yangon.

By mid-afternoon the commander-in-chief's office said 29 corpses 20 women, one man and eight children had been retrieved from the sea after a navy vessel discovered wreckage from the plane off the coastline near Dawei town.

Hundreds of locals, relatives and NGO workers clasping umbrellas watched as a fishing boat laden with the dead pulled up to San Hlan beach, where they were unloaded by NGO workers and uniformed soliders wearing masks and gloves.

29 corpses of different sizes, wrapped in black and white plastic bags, being brought onshore from the boat.

My cousin's sister's family was in the plane crash her husband, her child and herself, said Kyaw Swar Myint, 44, from Dawei.

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 strong currents has made it hard for boats to reach the 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 disappeared on Wednesday afternoon during a routine flight, according to the army chief.

More than half of the passengers were from military families, including 15 children, along with 35 soldiers and 14 crew members, the army chief's office said in a statement.

Some were travelling for medical check-ups or to study in Yangon.

The office of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi posted a statement expressing condolences to the victims.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered to help in recovery efforts, while the US embassy sent sympathies to the families of those lost in the "tragedy".

It is monsoon season in Myanmar, but there were no major storms reported along the aircraft's flight path on Wednesday afternoon.

The military said the plane was flying at over 18,000 feet (5,486 metres) when it lost contact with air traffic control at 1:35 pm (07:05 GMT) on Wednesday, about half an hour after takeoff.

Gerry Soejatman, an independent aviation expert based in Jakarta, said the information indicated something went wrong not long after or just before reaching cruising altitude.

The military named the captain as "seasoned" pilot Lieutenant Colonel Nyein Chan, who it said had more than 3,000 hours of flying experience.

He was flying the Chinese-made, four-engine Y8 turboprop, a medium-range transport plane based on the Soviet Antonov An-12, which has had numerous crashes over the decades.

Myanmar's former junta bought several Y8s during their 50 years of isolated rule, when they were squeezed by Western sanctions.

The plane's maker, China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation, in a statement pledged to assist with investigations into the crash.

The military said the plane that crashed was delivered in March 2016 and had a total of 809 flying hours.

The debris including two tires presumed to be from the plane were brought to shore before search efforts wrapped for the day -- was found in the Andaman Sea, north of the last known location of Malaysia Airlines flight 370.

That plane went missing in March 2014 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board, but no wreckage has ever been found.

Myanmar's military fleet has a chequered recent history of plane crashes.

A five-strong crew died when an air force plane burst into flames soon after taking off from the capital Naypyidaw in February last year.

Three army officers were also killed in June when their Mi-2 helicopter crashed into a hillside and burst into flames in south-central Bago.