The death toll in a train collision in north-central Iran has risen to at least 44, state TV reported on Friday, adding that 82 of people were injured.
A passenger train crashed into another passenger train that had stopped at a station near the town of Shahroud in Semnan province, about 250 kilometres east of the capital, Tehran.
The collision caused four carriages to derail and catch fire.
Iran's Red Crescent Society said that rescue helicopters had been dispatched as snowfall and icy roads hampered access to the accident site, according to state TV.
Death tolls by Iranian media however are often corrected downward after the conclusion of rescue operations.
Despite deteriorating infrastructure, rail accidents are infrequent in Iran, with the last incident occuring in July 2014 in the country's north when a train collided with a lorry, injuring 30 passengers.
Travellers tend to prefer cars, air travel and inexpensive long-distance buses as opposed to trains which even in large cities tend only to be scheduled once a day.
