Nine passengers were killed and 14 others injured when an intercity bus fell into a ditch in a remote area of western Iran.
The AP reported the incident on Sunday (December 22) citing state media.
The accident occurred on Saturday in a remote mountainous area about 450 kilometers (280 miles) southwest of the capital Tehran, the report said. Six people were killed on the spot. Seventeen people were taken to a local hospital with serious injuries, where three others died.
The passengers were members of the army, the state news agency IRNA said. They were traveling from the south of the country to the west. There were 27 passengers on the bus.
Police believe the driver lost control of the vehicle at high speed, causing the bus to fall into a ditch.
Iran has one of the worst traffic safety records in the world. About 17,000 people die in road accidents in the country every year.
