Accidents on Myanmar’s railroads are on the rise, Myanma Railways general manager Kyaw Kyaw Myo said this week, blaming the trend on the negligence of people who cross or spend time near railroad crossings. However, while accidents are rising, deaths appear to have dropped over the last five years, while injuries have remained at roughly the same rate.
“An average of 1.5 people die from [train] accidents every month. On average, four train-related accidents are reported per day. The number of illegal crossings is rising. The number of accidents has increased as people fail to abide by the rules,” Kyaw Kyaw Myo told Eleven.
According to Myanma Railways records, there are 2,485 illegal level crossings throughout Myanmar, including 66 in Yangon. The state-owned agency has pledged to close them.
Train-related accidents often usually involve people walking, lying down, sleeping, socializing, listening to music, talking on the phone, flying kites, or drinking alcohol near railroads.
Records also show that there were 74 injuries and 121 deaths during the 2013-2014 fiscal year; 88 injuries and 96 deaths in 2014-2015; 57 injuries and 77 deaths in 2015-2016; 77 injuries and 102 deaths in 2016-2017; and 70 injuries and 51 deaths in 2017-2018.
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