At least 20 killed in central Iran bus crash – reports

TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian media have reported that at least 20 people died when a bus overturned following a collision with a tanker on a road in central Iran.

Tuesday’s report by the semi-official Tasnim news agency said the accident happened late Monday on the road linking the cities of Kashan and Natanz, about some 250 kilometers southeast of the capital, Tehran.

It also said 20 people were likewise injured in the crash and were taken to local hospitals.

Amateur video broadcast on Iranian media shows a burning bus, with flames rising into the nighttime sky.

With some 17,000 motorists killed annually, Iran has one of the world’s worst traffic safety records, attributed to disregard for traffic laws, unsafe vehicles, and inadequate emergency services.  /kga