285 killed during Myanmar''s water festival

YANGON: A total of 285 people were killed and 1073 others injured across Myanmar during a fourday water festival media reports said

Updated At : 03:32 PM Apr 18, 2017 IST

Boats ferry Buddhist believers to and from the Kyauktan Ye Le Pagoda, a Buddhist temple built in the middle of a river in Yangon State in Myanmar on April 17, 2017. —AFP

Yangon, April 18

A total of 285 people were killed and 1,073 others injured across Myanmar during a four-day water festival, media reports said.

The deaths were 13 more than that of last year's event.

Meanwhile, a total of 1,200 criminal cases were also registered during the water festival, Xinhua news agency reported.

Among the deaths, 10 were in Nay Pyi Taw, 44 in Yangon, 36 in Mandalay, 26 in Sagaing region, 11 in Tanintharyi region, 37 in Bago region, 11 in Magway region, 20 in Mon state, 17 in Rakhine, 29 in Shan state and 28 in Ayeyawaddy region.

The criminal cases were related to murder, car accident, drug-use, theft, arm possession and group violence respectively.

This year's traditional Thingyan water festival ran from Thursday to Sunday.

During last year's water festival, a total of 272 people were killed and 1,086 others injured.

—IANS