At least 17 killed in train derailment in central Iran

At least 17 people were killed and dozens injured Wednesday when a train derailed near the central Iranian city of Tabas after hitting an excavator, state media reported.

"Seventeen people are dead and 37 injured people have been transferred to hospital," emergency services spokesman Mojtaba Khaledi told state television.

"The number of the dead may rise as most of the injured are in critical condition," he said, adding that "24 ambulances and three helicopters have been dispatched to the scene."

Tabas is located in South Khorasan province roughly 900 kilometres by road from Tehran.

The deputy head of Iran's state-owned railways, Mir Hassan Moussavi, told the state broadcaster that the train was carrying 348 passengers.

It "derailed after hitting an excavator" that was near the track, he said.

Some of the injured were airlifted to hospital by helicopter, state television footage showed.

The Tabas prosecutor visited the scene as a judicial investigation was launched into the cause of the accident, Iranian media reported.

The train derailment comes after a tower block collapsed in southwestern Iran last month killing at least 43 people.

In 2016, two trains collided and caught fire in northern Iran, killing 44 people and injuring dozens.

The then head of Iranian railways resigned after four of his employees were arrested following the collision on the main line between Tehran and second city Mashhad.