At least 28 people have been killed in a road accident involving a bus carrying Pakistani pilgrims in central Iran, Iranian state media reported.
The accident occurred late Tuesday night in the central province of Yazd. There were 53 passengers on board the bus, which was travelling to the holy city of Karbala in Iraq to perform the Arbaeen pilgrimage, said Teymour Hoseini, general and head of the road police of Iran’s law enforcement forces.
According to a preliminary investigation by the Yazd Road Police, the accident was caused by a technical defect in the vehicle’s braking system, state media reported on Wednesday.
The pilgrims on the bus were rushing to Iraq to honour Arbaeen, one of the Shiite rituals held annually in the days leading up to the 20th of the month of Safar. They gather in the city of Kerbala for the event, considered the largest annual public gathering in the world. Ali Malekzadeh, director general of crisis management in Yazd, told state television:
Unfortunately, 11 women and 17 men were killed in this accident. Seven of the injured are in critical condition and six of the injured have already left the hospital.
Of the 23 injured, six have been discharged and seven are in critical condition, he also said.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari expressed condolences over the loss of life. He instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide assistance to the victims and bring the bodies of the deceased to their homeland.
Iran has one of the worst road safety records in the world, with about 17,000 deaths annually. The high number of deaths has been blamed on disregard for traffic rules, unsafe vehicles and inadequate emergency services in vast rural areas.
