• Burmese
Saturday, July 19, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
28 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

15 Killed as Truck Carrying Buddhist Pilgrims Plunges off Cliff in Myanmar’s Shan State

Zarni Mann by Zarni Mann
October 29, 2019
in Burma
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
Rescue workers and local residents at the scene of a deadly road accident in Yone Taung Village in southern Shan State’s Ywangan Township / Thukha Ooyin Volunteer Group

Rescue workers and local residents at the scene of a deadly road accident in Yone Taung Village in southern Shan State’s Ywangan Township / Thukha Ooyin Volunteer Group

5.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

MANDALAY – At least 15 people were killed and 10 were injured when their light truck plunged off a cliff in southern Shan State’s Ywangan Township on Monday night.

The vehicle was carrying 25 Buddhist pilgrims, including three monks and three children, from Taunggyi to Mandalay along the Myo Gyi-Ywa Ngan Highway when it drove off the road and plunged about 2,000 feet down the mountainside.

“We rushed to the area along with rescue workers. It took over 10 hours to rescue the injured passengers, who were scattered in the ravine in the dark,” explained U Aung Soe Min, a Lower House lawmaker representing Ywangan.

RelatedPosts

Myanmar Junta’s Recapture of Nawnghkio Shows Strategic Missteps by TNLA

Myanmar Junta’s Recapture of Nawnghkio Shows Strategic Missteps by TNLA

July 17, 2025
1.6k
Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

July 10, 2025
3.5k
Myanmar Junta Courts Russian Investment to Build SE Asia Trade Hub

Myanmar Junta Courts Russian Investment to Build SE Asia Trade Hub

June 25, 2025
2.4k

The truck drove off the cliff near Yone Taung Village at around 7:30 p.m. Villagers who witnessed the accident called rescuers for help.

Fifteen bodies, including those of a Buddhist monk, a 6-year-old girl and two boys aged 9 and 11, were sent to a mortuary at Ywangan General Hospital.

“The other 10 [passengers] were seriously injured and we are sending them to Mandalay General Hospital. A local government team is there to assist the injured,” U Aung Soe Min added.

According to local authorities, the passengers traveled from Kun Taung Gyi Village in Sagaing Region’s Shwe Bo Township to visit pagodas in Shan State’s Taunggyi, Kalaw and Pindaya regions.

“Buddhist monks, relatives [of the victims] and village leaders are on their way to retrieve the bodies. The police are investigating the incident,” said Ko Pho Chit, a rescue worker from the Thukha Ooyin volunteer group.

Most drivers traveling between Mandalay Region and Southern Shan State use the smoother Pyawbwe-Kalaw Highway, but some who are looking to save time take the bumpy, steep and winding Myo Gyi-Ywangan Highway through the mountains. The road connects Myo Gyi Township in Mandalay Division with Ywangan in southern Shan State.

Microbuses running between Meikhtila and Ywangan are among the vehicles that commonly use the Myo Gyi-Ywangan Highway.

Local residents said the route is notorious for accidents, but Monday’s incident was the deadliest they could recall.

“There have been many accidents, but most of the passengers have survived, with some injuries. In this case, the driver may not have been experienced on this road, and it was dark, so perhaps he couldn’t control the speed, or maybe the car was broken. The drivers who use this road usually drive in the daytime for safety,” said U Thein Naing, a local transportation service operator.

You may also like these stories:

Irrawaddy Region Bridge Collapse Kills Six

Drowsy Driver Sends Rakhine Chief Minister’s SUV Into Stream, No One Hurt

Two Badly Burned as Fireworks Fall on Crowd at Balloon Festival

Your Thoughts …
Tags: Buddhist pilgrimscrashhighway safetymountainpilgrimageravineRoad accidentShan StateTrafficTransportationtruckvan
Zarni Mann

Zarni Mann

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State
War Against the Junta

Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State

by The Irrawaddy
November 29, 2023
87.1k

Brotherhood Alliance member says it now has complete control of Kokang’s northernmost section after the junta’s Light Infantry Battalion 125...

Read moreDetails
‘Myanmar Military in Chaos,’ Swift Capture of Strategic Outpost Shows
Burma

‘Myanmar Military in Chaos,’ Swift Capture of Strategic Outpost Shows

by Yuzana
January 5, 2024
28.4k

Many of the more than 200 junta troops captured on Wednesday at Shan State outpost after brief battle were medics,...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Military Suffers Swift Losses as Operation 1027 Expands to Mandalay
War Against the Junta

Myanmar Military Suffers Swift Losses as Operation 1027 Expands to Mandalay

by The Irrawaddy
June 27, 2024
18.2k

Ethnic army and PDF allies capture two dozen junta bases in three days of fighting in townships along the road...

Read moreDetails
China Faces Fierce Online Backlash in Myanmar After Threat Against Ethnic Army
Myanmar-China Watch

China Faces Fierce Online Backlash in Myanmar After Threat Against Ethnic Army

by The Irrawaddy
September 2, 2024
13.6k

The Chinese Embassy’s Facebook has been swamped with comments condemning a Chinese agency’s warning to the TNLA to stop fighting...

Read moreDetails
Wa Army Shows How to Succeed in Fight Against Myanmar Junta
Analysis

Wa Army Shows How to Succeed in Fight Against Myanmar Junta

by Ko Oo
July 17, 2024
13.3k

The UWSA has expanded its territory in Shan State without firing a single shot.

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta Troops Surrender Key Shan Base, Ethnic Armies Advance Into Lashio
War Against the Junta

Myanmar Junta Troops Surrender Key Shan Base, Ethnic Armies Advance Into Lashio

by The Irrawaddy
July 6, 2024
11.5k

The Brotherhood Alliance and its allies are battling to drive junta troops from hilltop bases in three wards of Shan...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing speaking at the fourth anniversary of the signing of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement on Oct. 28, 2019. / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy

Can ‘Coordinated Attacks’ Be Calls for Ethnic Rights? Myanmar Military Chief Asks

Officials and locals take water samples near Hpa-an. / ALARM Myanmar

Govt: Cause of Polluted Water in Myanmar’s Karen State Still Unclear

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

What the ‘Snake Charmer’ Analogy Gets Wrong About Myanmar

What the ‘Snake Charmer’ Analogy Gets Wrong About Myanmar

4 days ago
1.5k
Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

1 week ago
3.5k

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Protecting Irrawaddy Flotilla Kill 20

    Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Protecting Irrawaddy Flotilla Kill 20

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • More Than 20,000 Displaced As Myanmar Junta Burns Homes Around World Heritage Site

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Indian Top Brass Visit Myanmar After Cross-Border Drone Attack

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta’s Recapture of Nawnghkio Shows Strategic Missteps by TNLA

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Using Conscripts as Cannon Fodder, Defectors Say

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.