22 rescue teams, 10 ambulances and three helicopters were deployed after five train cars derailed near the town of Tabas at 5.30 a.m. local time. According to state media, the injured were taken to nearby cities for treatment.
The death toll is expected to rise due to the severity of the wounded, Iranian state media outlet IRNA quoted Sayyid Abolhasan Mirzalili, official of the South Khorasan Governorate, as saying.
IRNA said the train was carrying 348 passengers when it collided with an excavator on the rail. According to Reuters, it was traveling to the city of Yazd.
Aerial footage published on social media from the Iranian Red Crescent showed cars on their side in the desert.
The incident comes nearly two weeks after a 10-story commercial building collapsed in the city of Abadan, killing 41 people and sparking anti-government protests in Iranian provinces.