Burma: British Family Of Four Survived Crash

A British family of four was aboard an aircraft packed with tourists which crash-landed in Burma on Christmas Day.

The Foreign Office has confirmed it provided assistance to the family and that they have now left hospital following treatment for minor injuries.

Two people died and 11 were injured when the Air Bagan plane, carrying more than 60 passengers, crashed two miles short of the runway at Heho Airport.

Details of the crash remain unclear, however the airline and officials have blamed heavy fog for the aircraft's crash into a rice paddy field.

The ageing Fokker 100 jet was carrying Christmas tourists from Rangoon to Heho Airport, via Mandalay. The airport is the main gateway to the popular tourist destination Inle Lake.

Survivors of the Christmas Day crash-landing have told of their terror as the plane struck the ground.

"We felt the first bump, then a few big bumps and then (started) sliding very fast," said Anna Bartsch, a 31-year-old Australian advertising executive.

"In my window I saw the flames, and it was hot and we knew straight away we didn't have much time to get out. We didn't know then that the wings had come off," she said.

Air Bagan says the plane's black box will be sent to Singapore for analysis.

The airline has said "the plane hit electrical cables about a mile from Heho Airport as it descended and landed in rice fields".

All fatalities were Burmese citizens, including a man riding a motorcycle where the plane came down, and a tour guide aboard the plane.

The accident has raised concerns about the safety standards of Burma's overburdened airlines, as foreign visitors flock to the country as it emerges from a half-century of military rule.