A passenger bus, carrying Afghan nationals returning from Iran to Kabul, collided with a motorcycle and an oil tanker, sparked a massive fire leading to casualties in Guzara district
KABUL: At least 76 people were killed in a devastating traffic accident in Afghanistan’s western province of Herat, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
Provincial government spokesman Muhammad Yousuf Saeedi said that the crash occurred on Tuesday night in Guzara district near Herat city.
He said a passenger bus, carrying Afghan nationals returning from Iran to Kabul, collided with a motorcycle and an oil tanker, sparking a massive fire. “Seventy-six people died on the spot while three others sustained critical injuries,” Saeedi stated.
The police officials noted that most of the bodies were badly burned, making identification difficult. State-run Bakhtar news Agency reported that the tragedy is among the deadliest road accidents Afghanistan has witnessed in recent years.
The UN migration agency said nearly 1.5 million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan since the beginning of this year, as both countries accelerate the repatriation of long-term Afghan refugees.
The road accidents are frequent in Afghanistan, largely due to poor infrastructure, reckless driving and weak enforcement of traffic laws.
In December last year, a similar collision involving buses, an oil tanker and a truck in central Afghanistan claimed at least 52 lives.
