At least 35 people killed, 15 others injured after a bus carrying Pakistani pilgrims meets with an accident in Yazd, Iran
TEHRAN/ISLAMABAD, August 21 (SABAH): At least 35 people were killed and 15 others sustained serious injuries after a bus carrying Pakistani pilgrims met with an accident in Yazd, Iran. According to initial reports, the accident occurred due to failure of brakes. Injured have been shifted to near-by hospital. Most of the passengers belong to Larkana, Ghotki and other cities of Sindh.
However, taking to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Iran Mudassir Tipu confirmed the death of 28 pilgrims and said that the remaining 23 were wounded in the accident which occurred around 700 kilometres from the embassy.
The ambassador’s statement comes after a bus carrying Pakistani pilgrims overturned and caught fire near Taftan-Dehshir checkpoint, reported Iranian media.
“Embassy officials have already left for Yazd this morning. An officer in Zahedan is overseeing emergency arrangements,” the ambassador further said.
Speaking with a private TV channel, the envoy said overspeeding and brake failure caused the ill-fated bus to crash into a school wall.
According to Maulana Qamar Abbas Naqvi — a member of a peace committee based in Larkana — said at least 30 people died on the spot, while five succumbed to their injuries at the hospital.
On the other hand, Iran’s Mehr News Agency said that the number of killed people in the accident was 28 with emergency imposed in hospitals across the city to treat the injured.
The bus, which had 53 passengers on board, met with the accident last night. The police and rescue officials rushed to the scene and shifted the bodies and the injured to the hospital.
As per details received from sources earlier on Wednesday, the bus was carrying more than 50 passengers, including 14 women.
They added that 10 people hailed from Khairpur, whereas six were from Kashmore.
Syed Athar Shamsi, the leaders of the convoy which left from Larkana to participate in Arbaeen, said that the group of pilgrims were commuting in two buses. The bus moving ahead met with the accident, while the other one was left behind due to documentation related issues.
Crisis management director general of Yazd province, while talking to Iranian state TV, confirmed that 11 women and 17 men lost their lives in the accident, reported Reuters.
“Seven of the injured people are in critical condition and six injured people have now left the hospital,” he said adding that Pakistan’s consular services in Iran have been invited to Yazd province to follow up on the accident.
Iranian traffic police have said that preliminary investigations reveal that the accident was caused by a technical defect in the bus braking system.
Reacting to the incident, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif have expressed deep grief and sorrow over loss of precious lives in the tragic bus accident of Pakistani Zaireen in Iran.
The President and the Prime Minister commiserated with the bereaved families and prayed for the departed souls.
The President directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to bring the bodies to Pakistan and provide timely aid to the injured.
The Prime Minister said directions have been issued to Pakistan’s mission in Tehran to extend all possible assistance to the affected families.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PT) leader and National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan have also separately expressed condolences and prayed for the speedy recovery of the wounded pilgrims.