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28 Pakistani pilgrims killed in bus crash in central Iran
“A bus carrying 51 Pakistani pilgrims overturned and caught fire in front of Dehshir-Taft checkpoint in the central province of Yazd on Tuesday night,” Iranian state television reported.
“Twenty-eight people have been killed and 23 injured so far with the possibility of the death toll increasing,” it added.
Provincial crisis management chief Ali Malekzadeh told the broadcaster that some of the injured were in critical condition.
“The dead consisted of 11 women and 17 men,” he added.
Head of Iran traffic police, Teymour Hosseini, cited “technical failure in the brake system,” and the “high inclination of the road” as the reasons for the crash.
Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref extended his sincere condolences over the deaths of the Pakistani pilgrims.
In a telephone conversation with Yazd Provincial Governor Mehran Fatemi, Aref followed up on the medical treatment of those injured, inquired about the causes of the deadly accident, and emphasized on the provision of all necessary services to those affected in the tragic incident.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office also said the consul of Pakistan in Zahedan has been asked to visit the accident site to ensure medical relief to the injured and arrange the repatriation of the dead bodies to Pakistan.
Most of the victims are residents of Pakistan’s southeastern Sindh Province where the bus journey began.
The Pakistani pilgrims were headed through Iran to Iraq to attend the Arbaeen commemoration, one of the biggest events of the Shia calendar which marks the 40th day of martyrdom of the third Shia imam, Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).