Eleven people were killed and 16 injured after a bus rammed into a bridge after suffering a puncture in central Myanmar, state media reported Sunday. The Yangon to Mandalay bus, which was carrying 27 passengers, hit a traffic island after its tyre burst and then "plunged headlong" into the side of a bridge on Saturday, according to the state-run Myanmar language newspaper Myanma Ahlin.
A monk, four men and five women died at the scene in central Bago region, while an 18-year-old male died of his injuries later in hospital. The report also said a United States citizen in his 30s was among the injured, adding he had been taken to a hospital in Yangon.
"All I can confirm is there was one American involved in the accident," US embassy spokesman Michael Quinlan told AFP, without giving further details. Road traffic accidents are common in Myanmar.