Iran's Bahman Golbarnezhad died on Sunday, following a crash during the men's C4-C5 road race event at the ongoing Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.

"Golbarnezhad, 48, was involved in a crash at around 10.40 am on the first section of the Grumari loop, a mountainous stretch of the course," said a statement from the International Paralympic Committee. "The athlete received treatment at the scene and was in the process of being taken to the athlete hospital when he suffered a cardiac arrest. The ambulance then diverted to the nearby Unimed Rio Hospital in Barra where he passed away soon after arrival."

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Golbarnezhad was participating in his second race at the Paralympics after finishing 14th in the C4 time-trial race on Wednesday. He had previously participated in the 2012 Paralympics at London.

BBC Sport reported that an investigation into the circumstances of the accident has been launched.