A serious traffic accident occurred in Herat Province, western Afghanistan, on the 19th, resulting in at least 71 deaths, including 17 children.
Officials in Herat Province stated that on the evening of the 19th, a bus carrying Afghans who had just returned from Iran was heading to the capital Kabul when it collided with a motorcycle near the city of Herat, then struck a fuel truck, triggering a fire.
Officials reported that both individuals on the truck and two people on the motorcycle died.
In recent months, at the request of the Iranian government, large numbers of Afghans have left Iran and returned to Afghanistan. All the bus passengers had boarded at a border checkpoint in the western part of Herat Province.
The Herat Provincial Police stated that the cause of the accident was the bus “speeding” and the driver’s “negligence.”
Poor road conditions, lack of supervision, and dangerous driving have all contributed to frequent traffic accidents in Afghanistan.