Deadly Fuel Tanker Blast Kills 10 on Iran Highway
A tragic road accident in western Iran has killed at least 10 people. Six other people were injured in the incident. It happened on Saturday when a fuel tanker exploded on the Hamedan-Sanandaj highway.
The explosion followed a road crash, officials said. The governor of Sanandaj, Iran’s Kurdistan province capital, shared details. He said the vehicle carrying the tanker had a problem with its brakes. This technical fault caused the crash.
Iranian national media reported the death toll. Local officials quickly brought the fire under control. They did not share the names of those who died. These numbers are based on early reports.
This accident adds to Iran’s long history of deadly road incidents. Poor road conditions often cause these crashes. Many vehicles are old. Heavy truck traffic also creates hazards on the roads.
In 2018, a similar accident happened near Sanandaj. A fuel tanker hit a bus that had stopped to pick up passengers. That collision killed at least 13 people.
UNICEF reports that Iran’s traffic crash rate is very high. It is 20 times the world average. This is due to bad roads and weak enforcement of traffic rules.
A report from 2017 also showed the serious problem. The Tehran-based Financial Tribune newspaper stated alarming figures. It said more than 20,000 people die each year in Iran’s road accidents. Another 800,000 people suffer injuries annually.
