60 killed, 571 injured in traffic accidents on Myanmar's highway in 8 months

YANGON, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- A total of 60 deaths were registered with 571 injured in connection with 297 road accident cases on Myanmar's Yangon-Mandalay highway as of August this year, the official Global New Light of Myanmar reported Tuesday.

There were about 38 traffic accidents occurring on the country's busiest highway, killing six people and injuring 44 in the month of August alone.

The 587 km-long highway, connecting the country's commercial city Yangon and the second largest city of Mandalay was opened to reduce the travel time between the two cities in December 2010.

Reckless driving, over-speeding, defective vehicles and severe weather were identified as the main cause of the accidents on the country's roads and expressways.