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."

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.