At least 10 people lost their lives when a bus overturned in the western province of Lorestan, Iran, plunging into a ravine early Saturday morning, state media reported.
The incident occurred in Poldakhtar county, approximately 350 kilometers southwest of Tehran.
Mohammad Ghadami, the director-general of the Red Crescent Society in Lorestan, confirmed the death toll, adding that rescue operations are underway.
"Four relief teams have been dispatched to the site of the accident," Ghadami told state television.
Initial reports suggest that bad road conditions combined with high speed were the primary causes of the crash, according to Reuters.
Iran has a long-standing issue with road safety, with over 20,000 fatalities recorded in road accidents between March 2023 and March 2024, according to the Forensic Medicine Organization of Iran.
This latest tragedy comes just a month after a similar incident in central Iran, where 28 Pakistanis traveling to Iraq were killed in a bus crash. In one of the worst road accidents in the country's history, a collision between a petrol tanker and a bus in Sistan-Baluchestan province in June 2004 claimed more than 70 lives.
The government has faced criticism for failing to address the country's poor road infrastructure and enforce stricter traffic regulations, despite the recurring high death tolls from such accidents.
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