President condoles deaths in train crash, seeks an immediate inquiry

EghtesadOnline: 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.

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27 November 2016

The President said in an executive order that those responsible for negligence which led to the train collision must be brought to justice, according to IRNA.

The train crash caused deaths and injury of up to 100 people.

He urged Ministry of Roads and Transport to prevent repetition of such human disaster.

In the meantime, the President ordered immediate health services to the injured passengers and crew and condoled with the families who lost their loved ones.

Deputy Chairman of the Red Crescent Society for Relief and Rescue operation Ali Yahyaei said on Friday that the number of killed passengers might grow to 40 with the number of injured people to stand at 100.

Speaking to IRNA, he said that dimension of the disaster is extensive and predicted that the number those died in the train collision to stand between 30 to 40 and the number of casualties to reach 100.

Some of the passengers were burned in fire and exact number of casualties is impossible for the time being, he said.

Trains destined from Tabriz-Mashad and Mashad-Semnan collided at Haftkhan station in Shahroud and Damqan on Friday morning.

Technical inquiry into the disaster is underway.