Death toll of Iran train disaster rises to 45

Tehran, Nov 26, IRNA – An official affiliated to Iran's Red Crescent Society (IRCS) declared on Saturday that 45 people have been killed in a train collision in Semnan province. Speaking to IRNA, Ali Yahyaei, an official affiliated to the IRCS in the northern province of Seman declared that some of the 45 dead bodies need to be tested for DNA identification. He noted that 103 people have been injured in the disaster. Trains destined from Tabriz to Mashad and Mashad to Semnan collided at Haftkhan Station between Shahroud and Damqan on Friday morning. Technical inquiry into the disaster is underway. President Hassan Rouhani on Friday expressed grief at deaths of passengers and crew in train crash and sought an immediate inquiry to be carried out by First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri about the humanitarian disaster in Semnan. The President said in an executive order that those responsible for negligence which led to the train collision must be brought to justice. 1378/IRNA