Twenty-two rescue teams, 10 ambulances and three helicopters were deployed after five wagons derailed at 5.30am local time near the city of Tabas. The wounded were transported to nearby towns for treatment, state media reported.
The death toll is expected to rise due to the severity of the injuries, Iranian state media IRNA was quoted as saying by South Khorasan province official Seyed Abolhasan Mirjalili.
The train was carrying 348 passengers when it collided with a rail excavator, IRNA reported. He was traveling to the city of Yazd, according to Reuters.
Aerial footage posted on Iranian Red Crescent’s social media shows cars on their side in the desert.
The incident comes almost two weeks after a 10-storey commercial building collapsed in the city of Abadan, killing 41 people and sparking anti-government demonstrations in Iranian provinces.
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