Mini-bus plunges off road into a valley in Iran, killing 16

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s state TV says 16 people were killed and 12 injured in the country’s west when a mini-bus plunged off a road into a valley. The report says the accident happened in Kurdish province of the Kordestan region on Thursday around noon.

According to the report, 12 injured people were taken to hospital in Sanandaj city. The country’s emergency organization deployed a rescue helicopter and an ambulance bus, as well as six ambulances to the scene.

Authorities did not report the cause of the accident, saying only that it was under investigation.

With some 17,000 deaths annually, Iran has one of the world’s worst traffic safety records, blamed on disregard of traffic laws, unsafe vehicles and inadequate emergency services.