TEHRAN, July 09 - Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi offered condolences to the Turkish people and government over a train crash in the country that led to the killing of two dozen people and injuring of more than 300 others.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - In a statement released on Monday, Qassemi expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of dozens of people in Turkey and offered sympathy to the bereaved families of victims of the “tragic incident”.
At least 24 people were killed and 318 injured after the packed passenger train derailed in western Turkey on Sunday evening.
The train was heading from Edirne, near the border with Greece, to Istanbul with 362 passengers and six crew on board when it came off the tracks.
Five out of six cars left the rails after it ran over a section of track that partially collapsed after the ground underneath it gave way following heavy rains.
At least 124 people are still be treated at hospitals near the city of Corlu, where the accident took place, with medics appealing for blood donations from the public.
Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan said seven other trains had used the route earlier Sunday but the rain led to 'extraordinary swelling' which caused the ground to collapse.
The government initially banned journalists from covering the crash on the grounds of national security, but that ban was lifted on Monday.
Source: Tasnim