IRNA � Head of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Pir Hossein Kolivand said on Thursday night that some 24 Iranian pilgrims who attained martyrdom in Iraq explosions have been identified.


The terrorist attack in Iraq on Thursday has left more than scores of people dead and a lot more injured.


According to reports, some 71 people have been martyred in this terrorist attack, he said.

The Iranian minister of Health, Treatment and Medical Education Hassan Hashemi has ordered three rapid reaction teams to be well prepared for the mission.

Speaking to IRNA, he said out of 71 martyrs some 24 have been identified as Iranian and some 14 others are suspicious to be Iranian but in general the total number of martyred Iranian pilgrims will be about 41 people.

Some 30 people have been injured comprising 24 Afghan nationals and six Iranians, he said.

There are lots of limbs in the area and Iraqi officials are collecting them, he said.

Health minister has ordered a rapid reaction team comprising 30 experts to be ready to be dispatched to Iraq, he said.

Two other rapid reaction teams are now ready in Iran-Iraq joint borders, he said.

A truck bomb went off in the Shoumeli village, 120 kilometers southeast of Baghdad, targeting vehicles loaded with passengers most of them Iranians who were returning home from the holy shrines in Iraq after Arba'een rituals.

The Daesh terrorist group (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to the Iranian official, most of the Iranian victims are among those who had travelled to Iraq individually to mourn for the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS) on the 40th day of his martyrdom.