At least 10 killed in fuel tanker blast on western Iran highway
A road crash on the Hamedan–Sanandaj highway triggered the explosion, with officials attributing it to a fault in the tanker’s braking system.
At least 10 people were killed and six injured when a fuel tanker exploded after a road crash on Iran’s Hamedan–Sanandaj highway on Saturday, according to Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.
Sanandaj’s governor attributed the crash to a technical fault in the tanker’s braking system, Reuters reported. The cause has not been independently established, and officials said the casualty figures were based on initial reports.
Local officials said the resulting fire was brought under control. Authorities did not provide details about the identities of those killed.
The incident adds to Iran’s record of deadly tanker and bus crashes, with poor road conditions, ageing vehicles and heavy freight traffic identified as recurring hazards.
A 2018 collision between a fuel tanker and a bus near Sanandaj killed at least 13 people. UNICEF has said Iran’s traffic-crash rate is about 20 times the global average.
