Irrawaddy

Sagaing city's Muslim community has had to move the bodies of their dead to Mandalay, crossing the Irrawaddy River using the sole bridge connecting the two cities, according to Soe Nay Oo.

Then he came across a picture of Sagaing's Ava Bridge – a local landmark – lying in mangled ruins in the Irrawaddy River.

The flight - which had 211 passengers and 18 crew on board - was into the tenth hour of its journey, passing over the Irrawaddy Basin in Myanmar when turbulence struck.

The Irrawaddy, a Myanmar online news outlet, reported Tuesday that members of a Karen armed force who are not affiliated with the Karen National Union were guarding the bridges on the Myanmar side.

Independent media including Myanmar Now, The Irrawaddy and Rakhine-based outlets also reported about the incident, giving death tolls between 21 and 23 on Monday and Tuesday.