10 killed, 50 injured in Iran train derailment 

Tehran: A passenger train partially derailed in eastern Iran early Wednesday, killing several passengers and injuring dozens, including some critically, authorities said. 

According to details, the number of casualties could rise, though initial details about the disaster involving a train reportedly carrying some 350 passengers remained unclear.   

Reportedly, four of the seven cars in the train derailed in the early morning darkness near the desert city of Tabas, Iranian state television reported. 

After getting information, rescue teams with ambulances and helicopters arrived in the remote area where communication is poor. 

As per officials, at least 16 people suffered critical injuries, with some transferred to local hospitals. 

The derailment happened some 50 kilometers (30 miles) outside of Tabas on the rail that links the city to the central city of Yazd. 

The report said the crash is under investigation. Initial reports suggested the train collided with an excavator near the track, though it wasn’t immediately clear why an excavator would have been close to the train track at night. 

One official suggest it could have been part of a repair project.

The nation has some 14,000 kilometers (8,700 miles) of railway lines throughout a country about two and a half times the size of Texas. Its rail system sends both people and goods across the country, particularly in rural areas. 

Iran’s worst train disaster came in 2004, when a runaway train loaded with gasoline, fertilizer, sulfur and cotton crashed near the historic city of Neyshabur, killing some 320 people, injuring 460 others and damaging five villages.