Fuel tanker explosion in western Iran kills at least 10

At least 10 people died when a fuel tanker exploded on Iran’s Hamedan-Sanandaj highway, according to Iranian national broadcaster IRIB. The blast followed a road crash on Saturday.

The governor of Sanandaj, the capital of Iran’s Kurdistan province, said the crash resulted from a technical fault in the tanker’s braking system, Reuters reported. At least six other people were injured, though officials said the casualty figures were based on initial reports.

Local officials said they brought the resulting fire under control immediately. They did not release the identities of those killed.

The crash adds to a long record of fatal tanker and bus collisions in Iran. Poor road conditions, ageing vehicles and heavy freight traffic have made such accidents a recurring danger. At least 13 people died in 2018 when a fuel tanker struck a bus stopped near Sanandaj to pick up passengers.

UNICEF has said Iran’s traffic-crash rate is 20 times the global average, citing poor roads and lax enforcement. A May 2017 report by Tehran’s Financial Tribune said road accidents killed more than 20,000 people and injured 800,000 annually in Iran.