TEHRAN, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Emergency Organization of Iran said that dozens have been injured as a subway train carrying passengers between Tehran and Karaj in northern Iran was derailed on Wednesday morning, according to Tasnim News Agency.
The Spokesman of the organization Mojtaba Khaledi said that 22 passengers have been injured, among whom, a man aged 52 is in critical condition due to a blow to his head, and the rest of the wounded have been transferred to hospital.
He noted that 15 ambulances have been stationed at the site of the incident, and air ambulances are in a state of alert.
Firefighters were also immediately sent to the site of the accident, and rescued around 18 people who were stuck in the cars due to damages to the doors and blockage of the exits, according to the Spokesman of the Tehran Fire Department Jalal Maleki.
The incident did not cause any fire, he added.
Kamran Azadi, deputy head of Tehran Urban and Suburban Operation Company (TUSROC), said that an express train running on the Tehran-Karaj line collided with a slow ordinary one at 7:10 a.m. local time (0340 GMT) en route to the Iranian capital and was derailed.
The slow train had entered the express one's route, he added, saying the TUSROC's staff are disengaging the cars step by step to reopen the line.
Due to the accident, the lines will not be providing services until further notice, according to an announcement by the public relations office of Karaj Municipality's Rail Transportation Department.
The TUSROC CEO Mehdi Shayesteh apologized to the injured and those who have faced difficulty due to the accident.
The cause of the accident will be announced later by TUSROC experts.
The Tehran Metro is one of the largest and busiest metro systems in the Middle East. Enditem
