Bangkok Post – Pilgrim bus overturns in Iran, 28 dead

DUBAI – A bus carrying Pakistani pilgrims overturned in central Iran, killing 28 passengers and injuring 23 others, state media reported on Wednesday.

The accident occurred late Tuesday in the central Iranian province of Yazd. According to preliminary investigations by the Iranian traffic police, the cause was a technical defect in the bus's braking system.

“Unfortunately, 11 women and 17 men lost their lives in this accident. Seven of the injured are in critical condition and six of the injured have now left the hospital,” the general director of crisis management in Yazd province told state television.

Pakistan's consular services in Iran have been invited to Yazd to further investigate the accident, the official added.

Millions of Shiite Muslims are currently participating in the Arba'in pilgrimage in the Iraqi governorate of Karbala.

The event marks the 40th anniversary of the mourning following the martyrdom of Imam Hussein bin Ali, a central figure in Shiite Islam and grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.