16 people, mostly Iranians, killed in road accident in Iraq

At least 16 people, mostly Iranians, were killed in a road accident in Iraq, the Iraqi state news agency said early on Saturday.

Thirteen people were also injured in the accident, which occurred on a road linking two cities in Iraq’s northern Salahuddin province, the state news agency added, citing a local medical official.

The injured were taken to hospitals in critical condition, the official said.

Earlier on August 26, a minibus carrying mountaineers in Iran plunged into a ravine, killing 10 people, state media reported Saturday.

The accident occurred on Friday near the city of Varzaghan, in East Azerbaijan province, said the provincial emergency services spokesman, Vahid Shadinia, according to state news agency IRNA.

The minibus was heading towards a tourist village in the mountainous region when it overturned for an undetermined reason and fell into the ravine, said the official.

“Ten people including the driver were killed and eight were injured,” Shadinia said, adding that, “If the seat belts had been buckled, the number of victims would have been lower”.