BAGHDAD: At least 21 Iraqis were killed and 19 others injured when a passenger bus crashed and caught fire near the southern city of Nassiriya on Sunday, police and health officials said.
The accident occurred after the driver lost control of the bus on a highway near Nassiriya, causing the vehicle to overturn and burst into flames, the officials said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigation into the causes of the crash and directed authorities to submit a report on the circumstances surrounding the accident, his office said.
Police and medical officials said 21 people were confirmed dead at the scene and in hospital, while 19 others were wounded.
Most of the injured were in critical condition and suffering from severe burns, health officials said. The cause of the crash was under investigation, police said.
Iraq’s Health Ministry said in a statement carried by the state news agency INA that Health Minister Abdul Hussein Al-Moussawi was following developments after a bus carrying a number of visitors overturned on the Nasiriyah-Basra highway.
The ministry said the minister ordered medical, health, and ambulance teams to be placed on full alert and directed all available resources toward responding to the accident and providing necessary care for the injured.
According to the ministry, preliminary figures showed 21 deaths and 19 injuries, including Iranian visitors, without specifying their number.
