AP � Iranian media is reporting that at least 14 people have died in a road accident after a bus fell into a valley near the capital Tehran.

The reports quoted the head of the country�s emergency medical services, Pirhossein Koulivand, as saying that the accident took place in the Savadkouh area as the bus was on the road from Tehran to Gonbad-e Kavus, some 500 kilometers (310 miles) northeast of Tehran.

The report added that 18 people were injured and more than 10 ambulances were deployed to the area.

With some 17,000 motorists killed annually, Iran has one of the world�s worst traffic safety records, attributed to disregard for traffic laws, unsafe vehicles and inadequate emergency services.