At least 17 people died and 50 more were injured after a train derailed in eastern Iran on Wednesday morning, the Iranian Red Crescent said on Twitter.
Twenty-two rescue teams, 10 ambulances and three helicopters were deployed after five wagons derailed at 5:30 am local time near the town of Tabas.
The wounded were transported to nearby towns for treatment, according to state media.
The death toll is expected to rise due to the severity of the injuries, according to Iranian state media IRNA, which quoted southern Khorasan province official Seyyed Abolhassan Mirjalili.
The train was carrying 348 passengers when it collided with an excavator on the track, IRNA said. He was traveling to the city of Yazd, according to Reuters.
Aerial footage posted on the Iranian Red Crescent’s social media showed the cars sideways in the desert.
The incident comes nearly two weeks after a 10-story office building collapsed in the city of Abadan, killing 41 people and sparking anti-government demonstrations in Iranian provinces.
Source: CNN Brasil
