International
28 Pakistani pilgrims die in Iran auto crash
At least 28 people were killed and 23 others injured when a bus carrying Pakistani pilgrims crashed in the central Iranian province of Yazd on Tuesday night.
The bus was en route to the Iran-Iraq border carrying Pakistani passengers who sought to attend the Arbaeen ceremonies when the incident occurred in Dehshir village, Taft County, at 9:50 p.m. local time (18:20 GMT) Tuesday night.
The Director- General of the Provincial Crisis Management Department, Mohammad-Ali Malekzadeh, confirmed the incident to journalists on Wednesday.
READ ALSO: Eight die in Iran hospital fire
Malekzadeh added that 14 injured victims were in critical condition in the province’s medical centers.
On his part, Iran’s Traffic Police Chief, Seyyed Teymour Hosseini said initial investigations showed that a technical defect in the bus’s braking system caused the incident.
He said that the traffic police’s experts were on the scene conducting further investigations.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Nasser Kanaani, has expressed condolences over the deaths of Pakistani pilgrims, saying the incident “caused us deep sadness.”
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