Tehran, August 21 (EFE). – At least 28 Pakistani pilgrims died and another 23 were injured in a bus accident in central Iran, Iranian state media reported on Wednesday.

The accident occurred on Tuesday evening when a bus carrying 51 Pakistani pilgrims overturned and caught fire on the outskirts of the town of Taft in the central province of Yazd, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) from Tehran, local emergency official Mohammad Ali Malekzadeh said, according to the official IRNA agency.

Fourteen of the 23 injured are in serious condition and all were taken to hospitals in the provincial capital Yazd.

Police officials quoted by state television said a technical defect in the bus’s braking system caused the driver to lose control of his vehicle, which then overturned and caught fire.

Authorities are still investigating the accident.

The Pakistani pilgrims were on their way to Karbala in Iraq to attend the annual Arba’een gathering, which marks 40 days after the death of Imam Hussein and is one of the most important festivals for Shiite Muslims.

Traffic accidents are very common in Iran. The number of road deaths, with an average of 20,000 deaths per year, is one of the highest in the world.

Many of the accidents are due to the poor condition of the vehicles and the lack of compliance with traffic regulations by the drivers. EFE

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