Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran

Tehran, Sep 26: At least 11 people were killed and 24 others injured after a passenger bus overturned on the Saveh-Hamedan freeway in central Iran early Saturday, Iranian authorities said.

The accident occurred at around 4:48 am on the Saveh-Hamedan freeway in Markazi province, with the bus reportedly travelling from Kermanshah to Tehran. Iranian emergency services dispatched rescue teams and ambulances to the site following the accident.

Of the 24 injured, 18 were taken to Shahid Modarres Hospital in Saveh and six were shifted to Shahid Chamran Hospital for treatment, according to Iranian health officials. The crash left 35 people dead or injured in total.

Iranian traffic authorities said the cause of the crash was still under investigation. International reports citing provincial traffic police said driver fatigue and drowsiness were believed to have caused the accident.

Authorities had not initially disclosed the bus's destination, although Iranian reports later identified it as a service travelling from Kermanshah to Tehran.

Iran has one of the world's highest road accident fatality rates, with more than 17,000 people reportedly killed in road crashes every year. Experts have attributed the high death toll to unsafe vehicles, widespread violations of traffic regulations and inadequate emergency services.

Earlier this month, a fuel tanker crashed into other vehicles and caught fire near the western city of Sanandaj, killing 11 people and injuring seven others.