RANGOON, Burma (AP) — A passenger plane crashed while trying to take off from a city on Burma’s west coast, and state radio and TV reports said 14 people died and 20 were injured.
Three foreigners — two French citizens and one Italian — were among the dead, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The victims’ names were not made public.
Engine trouble was cited as the cause of the crash.
Authorities said the plane, operated by the state-owned Myanmar Airways, was taking off from Thandwe, 150 miles northwest of Rangoon, when it suddenly swerved to the right on the runway.
The Fokker Friendship F-27 crashed, catching fire after most of the passengers were evacuated, the officials said.
The radio and TV reports said the plane, carrying 41 passengers and four crew members, had been scheduled to fly to Kyaukphyu, 55 miles to the north.
Thandwe is near a Ngapali, a beach resort on the Bay of Bengal.