Iran: Bus crash kills 24 Muslim pilgrims

A bus driver is being blamed for falling asleep at the wheel, causing a crash that killed 24 Muslim pilgrims and injured 18 more in Iran today.

The victims were in a chartered bus that overturned after careering off the side of the Qazvin-Zanjan road, 136 miles west of Tehran.

The pilgrims were travelling to Mashhad, a city in eastern Iran where shrines draw Shiite Muslims from around the world.

Twenty-three passengers were killed on the spot and one died in hospital.

“The driver’s drowsiness was the main cause of the accident, which happened at dawn,” a police official said.

Some of the injured were taken to Qazvin hospital in serious condition.

Iran has one of the world’s worst road accident rates, with more than 400,000 crashes and 22,000 fatalities reported in 2002. The high toll is blamed on unsafe vehicles, disrespect for traffic laws and inadequate emergency services.