TEHRAN— In a tragic accident in al-Shomali city of Iraq, eleven pilgrims were killed, the Iranian Red Crescent Society reported on Sunday afternoon.

Tahir Doroudi, the Iranian Red Crescent Society’s deputy chief for medical affairs, told Iran’s TV that 11 people died and around 30 others were injured due to the collision of 3 cars in the city of Shomali in Babil province.

He added that a minibus collided with a van and since a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tank was inside the van, the two vehicles exploded.

As a result, he said, 11 people died and around 30 others were injured.

Doroudi stated that Iraqi emergency ambulances are transferring the injured to Diwaniyeh hospital. 

“We sent a bus ambulance and we are waiting for the wounded to be treated in the hospital and then transferred to Iran,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Iran’s ambassador to Iraq Mohammad Kazem Al-Sadeq told ISNA that the dead bodies are being transferred to identification centers. 

“Three people who were present in the accident and are now alive stated that all the passengers in the van were Iranian, and it appears that the 11 dead were also Iranian,” the envoy noted, expressing his sympathies.