A minibus carrying German tourists overturned in southern Iran on May 1, leaving two dead and at least 17 injured, Iranian media reported.
Both fatalities were German, state television and Iran's Foreign Ministry said. One tourist in critical condition was transferred to a hospital in Shiraz by helicopter, media reported.
The bus driver was reported to have lost control due to high speed on a rainy road between Shiraz and Saadat Shahr, a small town about 20 kilometers from the ancient ruins of Persepolis.
Iranian state television said that two of the German bus passengers died. The official news agency IRNA said two Iranians, the driver and a tour guide, were among the injured.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi in a statement expressed "deep sorrow at the passing away of two tourists."
He said those injured in the accident were transported to hospitals.
Road accidents in Iran kill or injure some 17,000 people a year. The high figure is widely blamed on poor enforcement of traffic rules, the presence of old and poorly maintained vehicles, and the lack of adequate emergency services.
