Road accident in Iran takes 26 lives

26 people were killed and 18 others injured after a truck smashed into a bus in western Iran.

Photo: Road accident in Iran takes 26 lives

The broadcast said eight of the bus passengers were killed immediately and another 18 died from serious injuries at a local hospital.

The passengers were returning to their homes in the central Iranian city of Isfahan from a pilgrimage to holy sites in neighboring Iraq, the TV said.

The bus tumbled down into a valley after the truck strayed into oncoming traffic, hitting the bus on a bridge on the highway linking Ilam to Kermanshah, about 710 kilometers (441 miles) southwest of Tehran, the capital.

Iran has one of the worst road safety records in the world. More than 26,000 people lose their lives in road accidents annually. The toll is blamed on unsafe vehicles, disregard for traffic rules and inadequate emergency services.