Myanmar passenger plane in emergency landing

A Myanmar plane carrying 65 passengers was forced to make an emergency landing near an airport in eastern Shan state on Tuesday, leaving two pilots injured, the airline said.

"None of the pilots, passengers or crew were killed but two pilots were hurt," Ye Min Oo from Air Bagan told AFP. The carrier said the aircraft landed two miles (three kilometres) from Heho airport.

A government official said a fire was reported in one of the engines as it approached the airport at around 9 am (0230 GMT).

"Because of the emergency landing near the airport, the plane broke up in the middle," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity, adding that the passengers were evacuated.

A local tour guide at the scene said that the fire had "burnt almost the whole plane".

Air Bagan is one of several domestic carriers seeking to profit from a tourist boom in Myanmar as it emerges from decades of military rule. It is owned by Tay Za, a tycoon known for his close links to the former junta.