A moving passenger train hit a stationary train near the town of Semnan, according to reports

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

A train collision in northern Iran has killed at least 36 people and injured 95, Iran’s state TV reported.

The TV said the accident happened in subzero temperatures when a moving passenger train hit a stationary train at a station about 150 miles (250km) east of Tehran.

The report said four of the people who died were railway employees onboard the trains when the collision occurred near the city of Semnan.

The TV station said four carriages derailed and two caught fire. It showed footage of rescue teams working near carriages on fire. Those injured in the crash were taken to nearby hospitals.

Initial reports said eight people were killed but the provincial governor, Mohammad Reza Khabbaz, later told state TV more bodies were recovered at the scene.

Khabbaz said the cause of the accident was under investigation and that the parked train was apparently not inside the station but on a main rail line at the time of the collision.

The TV station said 95 injured peoplewere in hospital, but many had suffered only minor injuries.

Earlier, Ali Asghar Ahmadi, head of Iran’s Red Crescent, told state TV the death toll was likely to rise, based on unconfirmed reports from the site.

Helicopters and ambulances had been sent to join the rescue operation, Ahmadi added.

Iran reports about 17,000 deaths on average in traffic accidents every year. The high accident rate is mostly blamed on drivers disregarding traffic laws, old vehicles and inadequate emergency services.

Years of punitive international sanctions against Iran over its controversial nuclear programme have badly affected Iran’s infrastructure, including roads and the railway network.