Around 30 passengers and 20 others were injured in central Iran when a bus carrying 51 Pakistani pilgrims to the city of Arbain in the Iraqi province of Kerbala overturned, state media reported on Wednesday. The accident took place late on Tuesday in the central Iranian province of Yazd and was caused by a technical defect in the bus’s braking system, according to preliminary investigations by the Iranian traffic police.
Iran is the great power of Shiism, but the pilgrimage to Arbaeen is one of the biggest celebrations of this religion. The event marks the 40th mourning following the martyrdom of Imam Hussein bin Ali, a central figure of Shia Islam and grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.
The dead include at least 11 women and 17 men, Yazd province’s director general for crisis management initially told state television. Pakistan’s consular services in Iran have been invited to Yazd province to monitor the accident, the official added. “We express our sincere condolences to the neighboring and brotherly government of Pakistan and the affected families. The relevant Iranian authorities are actively providing relief and treatment services,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani wrote on X.
Most of the passengers are from Larkana, Ghotki and other cities in Sindh, Europa Press reported, citing Radio Pakistan. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his grief over the incident. “I am deeply saddened by the loss of human lives,” he said on his X account. “My thoughts are with the families of the victims. I hope the injured recover as soon as possible,” he wrote. Sharif has instructed diplomatic authorities present in Iran to make themselves available to the families of the victims.
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