Iranian train derails, killing many people
At least 17 people were killed and many others seriously injured after a passenger train derailed in the east of the country, Iranian authorities said today (June 8).
According to the Anadolou news agency and Reuters, four of the seven carriages derailed on the Tabas-Yazd stretch, about 50km from the city of Tabas. The accident happened before dawn. A railway official told IRNA news agency that the train hit an excavator and then went off the tracks.
Currently, rescue units along with helicopters and ambulances have been deployed to the scene. Aerial footage shows train carriages toppling to the side while rescuers are at the site of the accident to help the injured.
Initial reports said the train was carrying 420 passengers. Tabas Governor Ali-Akbar Rahimi said the death toll would increase as the accident was very serious.
Iranian state television showed images of the injured being treated in hospitals. One of the injured said they felt the train suddenly stop and then slow down and derail.
Currently the case is under investigation.
Railways in Iran span nearly 14,000km across the country. In 2004, one of the worst railway disasters in the country occurred when a train carrying gasoline, fertilizer, sulfur and cotton crashed near Neyshabur, killing nearly 320 people and injuring 460, leaving five villages destroyed.
Hoai Linh
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vietnamnet.vn – Read the original article here
