Officials investigate cause of rail disaster

NEGLIGENCE or brake failure likely caused a 51-car train to roll out of a switchyard and eventually reach a speed of more than 90 mph before it derailed, caught fire and exploded, an Iranian official said yesterday.

The disaster killed at least 320 people and injured hundreds more.

An iron wedge used on Iranian trains to secure the wheels of the lead car was broken, and it was unclear if brakes on individual cars were working, said Hassan Rasouli, governor of Iran's north-eastern Khorasan province.