The crash occurred on Sunday afternoon in Thi Qar province as the bus traveled from the holy Shiite city of Najaf to the southern port city of Basra, according to Ahmad Saleem, spokesperson for the Thi Qar provincial council.

Saleem said 14 of the victims were burned beyond recognition, complicating identification efforts. Two Iranian nationals are believed to be among the dead, although authorities had not yet confirmed their identities.

Twenty people were injured in the accident, including two Iranian passengers who were transferred to Iran on Monday morning through coordination with the Iranian Consulate in Basra, Saleem said.

Local officials attributed the crash to poor road conditions. Saleem said provincial authorities had previously raised concerns about the condition of the roadway where the accident occurred, which lies between Thi Qar and Diwaniyah provinces.

He also said a severe shortage of ambulances in Thi Qar province hindered emergency response efforts following the crash.

The accident is the latest in a series of deadly road incidents in Iraq, where decades of conflict, corruption and underinvestment have strained infrastructure development and maintenance. Poorly maintained highways, aging vehicle fleets and weak enforcement of traffic regulations have contributed to a high rate of road fatalities across the country.

In 2023, a bus carrying pilgrims bound for the Iraqi city of Karbala crashed north of Baghdad, killing 18 people.

Authorities have not released further details on the cause of Sunday’s crash as identification efforts and investigations continue.