No fewer than 28 people were killed and 23 others injured as a bus conveying Pakistani pilgrims to Iraq overturned in the central Iranian province of Yazd on Tuesday night.

Local media reports have it that the incident occurred in Dehshir village, Taft County, at around 9:50 p.m. local time (18:20 GMT) Tuesday night.

The Director-General of the provincial crisis management department, Mohammad-Ali Malekzadeh, said on Wednesday that the bus was en-route to the Iran-Iraq border carrying Pakistani passengers, who sought to attend the Arbaeen ceremonies.

Malekzadeh added that out of those injured, 14 were in critical condition and under treatment in the province’s medical centers, stressing that the provincial authorities were ensuring the necessary coordination with the Iranian Foreign Ministry to transfer those killed and wounded in the incident to Pakistan on board a plane.

While commenting on the cause of the accident, Iran’s Traffic Police Chief Seyyed Teymour Hosseini said initial investigations showed that a technical defect in the bus’ braking system had led to the incident’s occurrence.

He said that the traffic police’s experts were on the scene conducting further investigations.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani has expressed condolences over the deaths of Pakistani pilgrims, saying the incident “caused us deep sadness.”

He assured that Iran’s relevant organizations and authorities were seriously continuing rescue, service and treatment operations.