At least 17 people have died and over 50 passengers seriously injured after a passenger train derailed in eastern Iran.
The number of casualties could climb, though initial information of Wednesday’s catastrophe involving a train carrying 350 passengers remained unclear, according to authorities.
Four of the train’s seven carriages derailed in the early morning darkness near the desert city of Tabas, about 550 kilometers southeast of Tehran.
Rescue teams, including ambulances and helicopters, have arrived in the remote area with limited communication, Governor Ali-Akbar Rahimi said.
At least 16 people were critically injured, and some were taken to local hospitals.
According to preliminary reports, the train collided with an excavator near the track. It was unclear why an excavator would be so close to the train track at night, but one official speculated that it could have been part of a repair project.
In 2004, a runaway train carrying petrol, fertilizer, sulfur, and cotton crashed near the historic city of Neyshabur, killing 320 people, injuring 460 more, and destroying five villages.
