Iran truck crash kills 30 Afghans in Fars Province
Washington, 21 August (IranVNC)—A truck overturned in southern Iran today killing at least 30 illegal Afghans and injuring 83, the official news agency, IRNA, reports.
By: IranVNC
Published: Thursday, August 21, 2008
14:13GMT—10:13AM/EST
IRAN – TRUCK – ACCIDENT – AFGHANS
Washington, 21 August (IranVNC)—A truck overturned in southern Iran today killing at least 30 illegal Afghans and injuring 83, the official news agency, IRNA, reports.
The truck that overturned in Iran’s southern Fars province was carrying nearly 125 people, emergency medical officials told IRNA.
Police officials said the cause of the accident is under investigation.
Many Afghan nationals cross into Iran in search of work or safety. Each of the those involved in the crash paid 5,000,000 rials [$520] to human traffickers to take them to the Iranian city of Shiraz, the capital of Fars Province, said the report.
According to reports, there were two trucks of Afghans but only one was involved in the crash.
“This matter should be examined that how two trucks carrying humans have made it from Sistan-va-Baluchestan to Fars Province,” Vahid Rajaie, the head of political department of the Shiraz governor’s office, was quoted as saying, according to AFP.
There are nearly 1.8 million Afghans in Iran, according to Reuters, and between January and May of this year the Islamic Republic deported about 100,000.
Sources: IRNA in English, Reuters, Agence France-Presse
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