21 dead in Iran as coach overturns: state media
The accident, the cause of which remains unclear, occurred near Kavar, a town about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from the capital, Tehran.
'Unfortunately, 21 deaths have been recorded,' Kavar Hospital director Mohsen Afrasiabi told state television, adding that 29 people were injured.
Iranian media showed images of a coach lying on its side on a mountain road.
Iran has a poor road safety record, with nearly 20,000 deaths from traffic accidents in the 12 months to March, according to official news agency IRNA.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
6 days ago
- Al Arabiya
21 dead in Iran as coach overturns: state media
At least 21 people were killed and nearly 30 injured when a coach overturned in southern Iran on Saturday, state media reported. The accident, the cause of which remains unclear, occurred near Kavar, a town about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from the capital, Tehran. 'Unfortunately, 21 deaths have been recorded,' Kavar Hospital director Mohsen Afrasiabi told state television, adding that 29 people were injured. Iranian media showed images of a coach lying on its side on a mountain road. Iran has a poor road safety record, with nearly 20,000 deaths from traffic accidents in the 12 months to March, according to official news agency IRNA.
Arab News
7 days ago
- Arab News
Pakistan links 40,000 missing pilgrim figures in Middle East to outdated paper records
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's religious affairs minister, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, on Friday downplayed his earlier remarks about '40,000 missing pilgrims' in the Middle East, saying the number reflected outdated travel records, not mass disappearances, amid growing scrutiny of undocumented religious travelers in the region. The clarification follows media reports, citing official data, that around 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims to Iran, Iraq and Syria had either gone missing or overstayed in the past decade, prompting the government to draft a new pilgrimage monitoring policy and raise the issue with host countries. Each year, thousands of Pakistani Shia pilgrims travel to religious shrines in these countries, but host governments have repeatedly flagged the issue of undocumented or unreturned visitors. Speaking to Arab News a day earlier, Mustafa Jamal Kazi, Director General of Immigration and Passports, said most of the disappearances occurred in Iraq due to the lure of employment in its booming construction sector, and that the exploitation of religious tourism for begging was among the most common motives for absconding. He also confirmed the officially stated number of missing pilgrims, saying these people 'never returned during the last almost one decade.' 'My reference to 40,000 pilgrims was never intended to give the impression that thousands of Pakistanis are missing abroad,' the religious affairs minister said in a statement. 'The real issue is that older paper records have not yet been fully transferred to our central digital registry.' He said the religious affairs ministry had launched a modern digital portal where pilgrims and group organizers are issued QR-coded e-cards, allowing families and the government to access real-time travel data. 'This step will eliminate room for misunderstanding or propaganda, and ensure timely sharing of pilgrim data with officials in Iran, Iraq, and Syria,' the minister said, calling the move a key measure toward secure and accountable pilgrimage. Yousaf also appealed to tour operators and prospective pilgrims to register their information on the new system by August 31 to avoid being flagged as part of 'incomplete lists.' 'Our goal is to make every Pakistani's journey safe,' he said. 'Let's work together to show the world that our records are transparent and that Pakistan is using modern technology to ensure responsible oversight.' As part of broader reforms, the government has also abolished the traditional 'Salar system' — in which private group leaders managed logistics — and introduced a centralized framework under the new Ziyarat Management Policy, holding licensed organizers accountable for each pilgrim's return.
Arab News
17-07-2025
- Arab News
Pakistan to tighten pilgrimage travel to Iraq, Iran and Syria after 40,000 go ‘missing'
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan plans to overhaul its pilgrimage travel policy to Iraq, Iran and Syria after authorities confirmed that around 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims went missing or overstayed in the three countries over the past decade, raising serious diplomatic and security concerns, a senior immigration official said. Each year, thousands of Pakistani Shia pilgrims travel to regional religious shrines, but host governments have repeatedly flagged the issue of undocumented or unreturned visitors. The problem resurfaced this week after Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf revealed that 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims had either overstayed or gone missing in these countries without any official record of their whereabouts. In response, authorities have scrapped the long-standing 'Salar system,' in which private group leaders managed travel logistics, and are introducing a new centralized, computerized structure to track and regulate pilgrim movement more effectively. 'Approximately 40,000 of the pilgrims who went on pilgrimage in Iraq, Iran, and Syria never returned during the last almost one decade,' Mustafa Jamal Kazi, Director General of Immigration and Passports, told Arab News. He said most of the disappearances occurred in Iraq and that Pakistani authorities had formally requested details from the Iraqi government. Once confirmed, passports of the missing individuals will be digitally and physically blocked, and they will be placed on the border control list. 'Last year, 50 such individuals were deported from Iraq, and we have taken further action against them,' Kazi said. He added that the lure of employment in Iraq's booming construction sector, bonded labor involving women, and the exploitation of religious tourism for begging were among the most common motives for absconding. To curb the trend, a new Ziyarat Management Policy has been finalized, after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi discussed the plan during a recent pilgrimage coordination meeting in Iran. Under the new policy, pilgrims will only be allowed to travel in organized groups, and licensed tour operators will be held directly responsible for ensuring that all group members return to Pakistan before their visas expire. Any operator found violating the policy or failing to ensure the return of all pilgrims will have their license canceled. Only tour operators that meet new regulatory standards will be registered as Ziyarat Group Organizers (ZGOs), according to the religious affairs ministry, which said the new system would fully replace the traditional, unregulated Qafila Salar model. 'Due to the lack of proper data regarding the number of pilgrims, travel schedules, and their return after completing the pilgrimage, various concerns have been raised by host countries and relevant institutions,' the religious ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. The new registration process, approved by the federal cabinet, will enable more effective monitoring of pilgrimage traffic and prevent individuals from using religious travel as a cover for illegal migration or unauthorized cross-border movement. The ministry said all pilgrimages would now be conducted under a structured system led by government-registered Ziyarat Group Organizers (ZGOs), which would also 'help curb illegal stays in host countries or any attempts to cross into neighboring countries under the guise of religious pilgrimage.'
