Myanmar squash players and coach hurt in bus crash
Seven squash players and a coach were injured in a bus crash at the Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia on Monday, forcing organisers to suspend matches on the first day of competition.
Police said two buses were in collision near Kuala Lumpur, injuring seven players from Myanmar and a coach from the Philippines. A Thai contingent was also travelling on the buses.
“All matches this morning have been suspended,” Low Beng Choo, secretary of the Games’ sports and technical committee, said in a statement. She added that the accident was being investigated by police.
Police said the Philippines coach suffered light leg injuries, while the seven players from Myanmar were also left with “small wounds” on their legs.
The accident happened when one of the buses braked suddenly to avoid a car that cut into its lane, and was hit from behind by the second bus, the statement added.
It wasn’t the first transport problem at the SEA Games for Myanmar, whose women’s football team was stranded when their bus driver was arrested for stealing a watch, according to reports.
On Sunday, the first full day of competition, Malaysia apologised to Indonesia after organisers printed the Indonesian flag upside-down.
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