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Truck accident kills 30 Afghans in South Iran

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-21 16:32

TEHRAN -- A truck overturned in Iran's southern province of Fars early on Thursday, killing at least 30 immigrants from Afghanistan onboard and wounding another 83, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

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The accident occurred at about 1:10 am local time (2040 GMT) on Thursday when the truck was carrying 125 illegal Afghan immigrants, local emergency official Mohammad Ali Ghanaat Pisheh was quoted as saying.

The injured were taken to hospitals in Shiraz, capital of Fars province, the official said, adding the cause of the accident is still under investigation.

Iran has high fatalities in road accidents in the region. At least 100,000 people have been killed in traffic accidents over the past five years, a pretty high level considering the country's population of 70 million.