Bus carrying pilgrims from Pakistan to Iraq crashes in Iran, 28 killed

At least 28 people died after a bus carrying Pakistani Shiite pilgrims overturned in central Iran on Tuesday night (Aug 20).

The pilgrims were travelling from Pakistan to Iraq, when the bus caught fire in front of the Dehshir-Taft checkpoint in Iran, around 681km (423 miles) south of Iran's capital Tehran.

Moreover, another 23 people were injured in the crash, with 14 severely injured, he added.

The pilgrims were on their way to Karbala city in Iraq to commemorate one of their biggest events according to the Shia calendar.

During the time of the crash, there were 53 people on board, including pilgrims from Pakistan's Sindh, Ghotki and Larkana.

Following the crash, rescuers stepped in through the broken glass of the bus to save the passengers.

Watch |Iraq-Iran war ends after nearly 8 years of fighting

According to an Iranian state TV report, Malekzadeh said that the bus brakes failed and blamed the driver's lack of attention.

Pakistan reacts to accident in Iran

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi expressed his condolences over the deaths of the pilgrims.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of precious human lives in the bus accident in Iran,” he said.

The pilgrimage, Arbaeen, marks the end of a period of 40 days of mourning for Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed, who died at the hands of the Muslim Umayyad forces in the battle of Karbala during the tumultuous first century of Islam's history.

Notably, Iran has one of the world's worst traffic safety records and has been reporting nearly 20,000 deaths annually. The disregard for traffic laws, unsafe vehicles and insufficient emergency services in the vast rural areas, have been blamed for these deaths.

(With inputs from agencies)