Tasnim � Eleven people were killed and more than 40 others were injured in a gas explosion at a wedding hall in Iran�s western province of Kurdistan on Thursday night.

In remarks late on Thursday, the spokesman for Iran�s emergency medical services, Mojtaba Khaledi, said the deadly explosion of a gas heater at a wedding hall in the western city of Saqqez in Kurdistan occurred at 21:30 (local time) on Thursday.

Immediately after the incident was reported, eleven ambulances were dispatched to the scene, the official added.

�Unfortunately, 11 people lost their lives and 42 others were injured,� Khaledi said, adding that the wounded were taken to the nearest medical centers after receiving prehospital care from emergency specialists.

The governor-general of the Kurdistan Province, Bahman Moradnia, declared a day of public mourning following the �painful incident�.

�The Thursday night�s painful incident in Saqqez that left a number of our beloved compatriots in the province dead and wounded is undoubtedly one of the most bitter incidents in recent years,� he noted.