10 pilgrims killed in Myanmar boat accident

Ten people have drowned in southern Myanmar after a boat capsized while carrying them to a Buddhist pagoda, the state media said on Monday.

One man and nine women were killed in the Tavoy river when the 36-foot boat sank early on Friday, about 560 kilometres south of Myanmar's commercial capital Yangon, the official Mirror newspaper said.

Five Buddhist monks and 26 other passengers were rescued, the paper said, without explaining the cause of the accident.

Myanmar, one of the world's poorest countries, depends on old and often dilapidated vehicles for transport, and safety standards are often poor.

Myanmar has been ruled by the military since 1962, and the sanctions by the United States and Europe coupled with fiscal mismanagement during decades of military rule have battered its once-promising economy.