Iranian train derailment kills at least seven

[John Ashworth]

Iranian train derailment kills at least seven

TEHRAN
Sat Jan 23, 2010 2:23pm EST

TEHRAN (Reuters) - A passenger train came off the rails in northeastern Iran Saturday, killing at least seven people, state radio reported.

"The train was en route from the northeastern city of Mashhad to Tehran. So far seven passengers out of 50 aboard have been killed and 12 wounded," local official Mohammad Reza Kazami told state radio. "The death toll is expected to rise."

State television put the death toll at eight and said four people were in a critical condition.

In 2004, a runaway train laden with fuel and fertilizers derailed in northeastern Khorasan province, killing about 300 people.

(Reporting by Hossein Jaseb, Writing by Parisa Hafezi, Editing by Janet Lawrence)