Rescuers search for survivors after deadly train derailment in eastern Iran

Rescuers work at the scene (Iranian Red Crescent Society via AP)

At least 17 people have been killed and 50 more have been injured after a passenger train partially derailed in eastern Iran, authorities said.

Four of the seven carriages in the train derailed in the early morning darkness near the desert city of Tabas, roughly 340 miles south-east of the capital, Tehran, state television reported.