The pilgrims had been on their way to Iraq to commemorate Arbaeen, one of the biggest events in the Shia calendar.

A bus carrying Pakistani pilgrims has overturned in Iran, killing at least 28 passengers, Iranian state media reports.

The crash happened on Tuesday night in the central Iranian province of Yazd and was due to a defective braking system, Reuters reported, citing a preliminary police investigation.

Another 23 passengers were injured, 14 of them critically, Pakistan’s ambassador to Iran Muhammad Mudassir Tipu told the BBC.

The pilgrims were travelling from the Sindh province in Pakistan to Iraq’s holy city of Karbala to commemorate one of the biggest events in the Shia calendar.