At least 15 people were killed and more than 52 others were wounded in a train collision in Iran on early Friday. Two passenger trains collided in Iran's north-central province of Semnan, according to Fars news agency reports.
The people injured in the accident were rushed to nearby hospitals for further treatment according to local officials. There were no reports of the number of passengers travelling on the train during the time of the accident.
"The death toll has reached eight and some 52 others have been injured. The injured passengers have been transferred to nearby hospitals," the news agency had quoted local officials as saying.
The video footage telecast by the state television shower four derailed carriages and two of them were on fire. Reports state that firefighters are on the scene and are trying to douse the fire.
The report also showed that the accident occurred in subzero temperatures when a passenger train in motion crashed into another passenger train which halted at a station, nearly 250 kilometers east of the Iranian capital Tehran.
"The accident happened when a passenger train in motion crashed to another one that had stopped at the station," spokesperson for Iran's Red Crescent, Mostafa Mortazavi, told Fars.
Rescue teams have been sent to the site of the accident and operations are underway. The authorities are currently investigating the cause of the collision. According to reports, four of the fatalities were railway employees on the two trains.
The cause of the collision was under investigation, it said, adding that rescue teams have been dispatched to the site of accident.
