Newshub18:Train derails in Iran, killing 18.
At least 16 people have been killed after a train derailed near the Iranian city of Tabas. Several people were injured. The train derailed after colliding with an excavator on Wednesday, local time.
The AFP news agency quoted Iranian state media as saying.
In an interview with state television, a spokesman for the emergency services said 18 people had been killed and 36 injured.
The death toll could rise further. Because most of the injured are in critical condition. He added that 24 ambulances and three helicopters had been sent to the spot.
The city of Tabas is located in the province of South Khorasan. Its distance by road from Tehran is 900 kilometers (560 miles).
Mir Hassan Mousavi, deputy head of Iran’s state-owned railway, said the train had 348 passengers. The train derailed after hitting an excavator near the railway line. State television footage showed some of the injured being rescued and airlifted to hospital.
Mehdi Valipur, head of emergency operations at the Iranian Red Crescent, said the train had 11 bogies.
Train derails in Iran, killing 18
Five of its bogies derailed around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.
A judicial inquiry has been launched into the cause of the train derailment. The Tabass prosecutor has already visited the spot.
In 2016, 44 people were killed when two trains caught fire in northern Iran. Several people were injured. Following the incident, the then head of the Iranian Railways resigned and four railway workers were arrested