By Pishtaz | 2025-08-26

At least 21 people were killed and 34 injured when a passenger bus carrying pilgrims overturned while navigating a curve near Kavar in Iran's Fars province on July 19, according to rescue services and state media.

The crash occurred about 50 km south of Shiraz, the province's capital, as the bus was carrying pilgrims from Qir-o-Karzin county to Mashhad late in the morning.

The incident once again highlights the dangers of road travel in Iran, where deadly accidents frequently plague highways and rural roads.

Eyewitnesses and survivors recounted that the bus was moving at considerable speed prior to the accident, with brake failure being cited by the driver as a possible cause.

"The bus was traveling at high speed. We managed to pass two curves, but the third was difficult, and we hit the highway barriers," one young male survivor described the incident, according to Iranian media reports.

Emergency responders from Fars province's rescue services and Shiraz University of Medical Sciences were dispatched quickly to the site.

Many of those injured were taken to nearby hospitals in Shiraz and Kavar, where medical staff worked around the clock to treat victims and provide psychological support to traumatized families.

Iran is no stranger to road tragedies. With over 17,000 people losing their lives annually in road traffic accidents, the country has one of the highest rates of traffic fatalities in the world.

Experts and safety advocates routinely point to a mix of factors: aging public transport vehicles, insufficient safety checks, poor road maintenance, reckless driving practices, and lax enforcement of traffic regulations.