A road accident in southern Iran has killed 19 people when a bus plunged into a ravine.

The official IRNA news agency says that at least 30 other passengers were injured in the accident early Wednesday, which took place on a major road linking the southern cities of Shiraz and Kerman. It happened around 1:30 a.m.

The report says the injured were taken to local hospitals.

IRNA says that an hour later, a bus flipped over on a road, also near Shiraz, injuring 47 people.

Iran has one of the world's worst traffic safety records, with more than 400,000 accidents and nearly 18,000 deaths on its roads every year.

The high death tolls are blamed on unsafe vehicles, widespread disregard of traffic laws and inadequate emergency services.