Monday 11 July 2011

Helicopter crashes in sea off Myanmar, killing 3

A helicopter carrying crew from an offshore drilling rig crashed into the sea off Myanmar, killing three people on board. Eight were rescued.

An oil company employee, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to release information, said co-pilot Ohn Thein, a retired air force officer, and two Myanmar employees died in the crash Monday.

The aircraft was carrying staff of the Malaysian oil company Petronas from the Yetagun offshore gas field in the Andaman Sea.

The oil field is operated by Petronas Carigali of Malaysia, PTTEP of Thailand and Japan's Nippon Oil company. Petronas also operates a cross-border gas pipeline to transport gas from Yetagun to Thailand.