More than 50 people lost their lives when a passenger bus carrying Afghan migrants collided with a motorcycle and a fuel-laden truck in Guzara district late last night, just outside Herat city.
The bus, en route to Kabul, was transporting Afghans recently repatriated from Iran via the Islam Qala border crossing. According to provincial governor spokesman Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi, all passengers were returnees.
Local police attributed the crash to excessive speed and driver negligence. The collision triggered a massive fire, engulfing the bus and the truck. Only three passengers survived. Among the deceased were two individuals on the motorcycle and two in the truck.
An AFP journalist reported seeing the charred remains of the vehicles hours after the incident.
This tragedy comes amid a surge in migrant returns from Iran and Pakistan, with over 1.5 million Afghans repatriated this year alone, according to the UN migration agency.
Traffic accidents remain alarmingly frequent in Afghanistan due to poor infrastructure, unregulated driving, and decades of conflict that have left roads in disrepair.
