TEHRAN, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Car crashes have killed scores of people and injured thousands in three days in Iran as the new year travel rush begins, the official news agency IRNA reported Saturday.
From Wednesday to Friday, 125 people killed in 111 car crashes, and 2,895 others were injured in 1,171 road accidents, Ahmad Shirani, head of the Iranian Traffic Information and Control Center, was quoted by IRNA as saying.
Shirani said the casualties were "very concerning," calling on people to be more careful in intercity trips during the celebrations of Nowruz, the Iranian new year, which starts on March 21 this year.
The highest number of road accidents occurred in the provinces of Khorasan Razavi, Tehran, Fars, Kerman and Isfahan, mainly due to reckless driving, speeding, and drowsy driving, Shirani added.
Intercity travels often see a surge during the Nowruz holidays in Iran, raising the likeliness and occurrence of road accidents. ■
