Fifteen Buddhist pilgrims including a monk were killed after their flatbed truck plunged off a 300-metre (1,000 feet) cliff in eastern Myanmar, police said today, blaming faulty brakes.
The accident happened Monday evening in Shan state as the truck carrying 25 people was returning from a Buddhist festival.
Police officer Myint Soe told AFP the cause of the crash was brake failure as the vehicle rounded a turn.
"Fifteen people were found dead while 10 were severely injured," he said, adding that the steep and challenging terrain made for a risky overnight search for victims.
Buddhist-majority Myanmar sees thousands of people travel widely on journeys to religious festivals and pagodas during summer.
But poorly maintained vehicles are often go-to options for cheap travel and the country lags behind others in the region on road construction and safety enforcement.
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