According to an official, a bus disaster in northwest Afghanistan claimed the lives of at least 79 individuals, including 19 children, who were returning from Iran.
Abdul Mateen Qani, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, told The Associated Press that two more persons were hurt in the collision.
According to Tolo News, which cited the official, the collision occurred in Herat province on Tuesday at approximately 8:30 p.m. local time. According to the outlet, the bus struck a truck and a motorcycle, starting a huge inferno that instantly claimed several lives.
Poor road conditions and reckless driving are the main causes of Afghanistan’s high traffic accident rate.
In recent months, about 1.8 million Afghans have been forcibly repatriated from Iran. Since the start of the year, more over 5,000 people have been deported from Turkey, and another 184,459 were returned from Pakistan. Nearly 10,000 Afghan detainees have also been returned home, primarily from Pakistan.
As Iran and Pakistan deport immigrants they claim are living there illegally, the Taliban denounced their neighbors in July for the wholesale displacement of Afghans. Approximately 6 million Afghan refugees are still abroad, according to the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation.
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