Seven more bodies found in missing Myanmar army plane search

Chinese-made Y-8-200F transport plane. Photo / File

Rescuers have found another seven dead bodies during the search for a Myanmar army plane that went missing with 122 soldiers, family members and crew on board.

The discovery brings the total of recovered corpses to 10, the army said on Thursday.

The 10 bodies, found in an area some 35km from the southern coastal town of Launglon, include six adults and four children, the military said in a statement.

A total of 15 children were on board, it said.

A plane wheel, two life jackets and some bags with clothes - believed to be from the missing Chinese-made Y-8-200F transport plane - have also been found.

The Chinese-made Y-8-200F transport plane vanished on early Wednesday afternoon after takeoff from the coastal town of Myeik on a weekly military flight to Myanmar's largest city Yangon.

The plane lost contact 29 minutes after takeoff while flying at 5485 metres over the Andaman Sea, about 70km west of the town of Dawei.

Nine navy ships, five military planes and two helicopters were mobilised on Thursday to search for the missing aircraft.

It is monsoon season in Myanmar, but a civil aviation official said the weather had been "normal" with good visibility when the plane took off.

The aircraft was bought in March 2016 and had a total of 809 flying hours. It was carrying 2.4 tons of supplies, the military said.