Dozens killed as bus carrying Pakistani Shiite pilgrims to Iraq crashes in Iran

Tragedy struck on journey to commemorate Arbaeen

At least 28 Pakistani pilgrims travelling to Iraq for a Shiite ritual were killed when their bus crashed in central Iran.

The accident occurred on Tuesday night in the central province of Yazd, Iranian state-run news agency Irna reported, citing a local emergency official.

Another 23 were injured, 14 of them seriously. There were 51 people on board at the time of the crash outside of the city of Taft, about 500km south-east of the Iranian capital Tehran.

The pilgrims were heading through Iran to Iraq to attend Arbaeen, one of the biggest events of the Shiite calendar, which marks the 40th day of mourning for Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.

Pilgrims traditionally assemble in Karbala in what is regarded as the largest annual public gathering in the world, drawing tens of millions of people each year. Already, Iranian police said 3 million pilgrims had left their country for Karbala.

In Pakistan, authorities described those on the bus as coming from the city of Larkana in the southern Sindh province.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was “deeply saddened” by the crash and that diplomats were providing assistance to those affected.

“My thoughts are with the bereaved families,” Mr Sharif said on X.

Iran has one of the world’s worst traffic safety records, with about 17,000 deaths annually. The grave toll is blamed on wide disregard for traffic laws, unsafe vehicles and inadequate emergency services in its vast rural areas.

Last year, an estimated 22 million pilgrims attended the commemoration in the Iraqi shrine city of Karbala, where Hussein and his brother Abbas are buried.