A catastrophic bus accident occurred near Shiraz in Iran’s Fars province on Saturday, resulting in at least 15 fatalities and 27 injuries, according to Iranian state media. The passenger bus overturned on a road south of Shiraz, the provincial capital, in an incident reported by the state-run IRNA news agency.

Masoud Abed, head of the province’s emergency medical services, confirmed the death toll and noted that 11 ambulances and two ambulance buses were swiftly deployed to the scene to provide critical support and transport for the victims. The cause of the crash has not yet been disclosed by local authorities, and investigations are ongoing.

Iran continues to grapple with a severe road safety crisis, recording approximately 17,000 traffic-related deaths each year, one of the highest rates worldwide. This tragic event underscores the persistent challenges the country faces in addressing road fatalities.