Five Iranian pilgrims were killed and at least 57 injured when a bus carrying people traveling to the Arbaeen ceremony collided with a minibus on the Najaf–Basra road in Iraq, the Iranian Red Crescent said on Wednesday, APA reports citing Iran International.
“This is the first time emergency teams have entered Iraqi territory, and despite the special conditions and distance, they were able to transfer the injured swiftly and in full coordination to treatment centers in Iran,” Abolfazl Mahrokh, spokesman for Iran’s emergency services, said on Wednesday.
Ten operational teams were dispatched to the crash site, the Red Crescent’s Khuzestan branch said. Most of the injured were from southern Khuzestan province and heading to Iraq’s religious cities.
Iranian media earlier cited driver error and the bus striking a roadside barrier as the cause.
