9 Iranians die in bus accident in Iraq
Iraqi women cry in front of the tomb of Shia martyr Abbas in the holy city of Karbala, Iraq. Photo: Reuters
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi medical sources revealed that at least nine Iranian pilgrims died and dozens were injured after the bus they were riding crashed into a truck in the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriya on Monday.
The bus was full of Iranian pilgrims on their way to the holy Shi’ite Muslim city of Karbala, the sources told Reuters.
One of the medical sources said 31 people, including women and children, were injured, and five of them were in critical condition.
Last year, 11 Iranian pilgrims and their Iraqi local driver died in central Iraq after their minibus collided with a truck and burst into flames.
Health officials said at that time that the vehicle carrying the pilgrims crashed into a parked truck in an area south of Baghdad, according to the AFP.
A report on road accidents revealed in 2021 that car drivers and pedestrians represent the highest percentage of fatal injuries, followed by motorcyclists.
The report indicated that the majority of road accidents in Iraq are caused by high-speed driving and the use of mobile phones while driving.
Decades of sanctions, civil strife, and corruption have left the country’s infrastructure, including roads, in dire conditions, according to Kurdistan 24.
In April 2022, 14 people were killed in a single traffic accident in Iraq.