Afghanistan bus crash death toll rises to 79, including 19 children

A rider autobus carrying Afghan returnees from Iran struck a motorcycle and a substance truck, triggering a immense fire.

The decease toll from a autobus clang successful occidental Afghanistan has risen to 79, aft 2 survivors died from their injuries, an interim Taliban medication authoritative said.

The incidental occurred precocious connected Tuesday successful Herat province’s Guzara district, erstwhile a rider autobus carrying Afghan returnees from Iran struck a motorcycle and a substance truck, triggering a immense fire.

At slightest 19 children were among those killed, Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesperson for the interim Interior Ministry, told reporters successful Kabul connected Wednesday.

Mohammad Janan Moqadas, main doc astatine the subject hospital, said galore bodies were excessively severely burned to beryllium identified.

A writer with the AFP quality bureau reported that cleanup crews were moving connected Wednesday to region the burned-out autobus and the twisted wreckage of the different vehicles.

“There was a batch of fire… There was a batch of screaming, but we couldn’t adjacent get wrong 50 metres to rescue anyone,” witnesser Akbar Tawakoli, 34, told AFP. “Only 3 radical were saved from the bus. They were besides connected occurrence and their apparel were burned.”

Abdullah, 25, different witness, told AFP, “I was precise saddened that astir of the passengers connected the autobus were children and women.”

Security unit basal defender astatine the tract of a autobus clang successful Guzara territory of Herat state connected August 20, 2025 [Mohsen Karimi/AFP]

The autobus was transporting Afghans precocious expelled from Iran to the capital, Kabul, provincial spokesperson Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi said. The cardinal authorities has ordered an investigation.

“It is with heavy sorrow that we mourn the nonaccomplishment of galore Afghan lives and the injuries sustained successful a tragic autobus collision and consequent occurrence successful Herat state past night,” it said successful a statement.

More than 1.5 cardinal Afghans person returned from Iran and Pakistan this twelvemonth alone, according to the United Nations migration agency, arsenic some countries measurement up deportations aft decades of hosting Afghan refugees. Many get with small means and look dire conditions successful a state battling poorness and wide unemployment.

The state-run Bakhtar News Agency described the incidental arsenic 1 of Afghanistan’s deadliest accidents successful caller years.

In December 2023, 2 abstracted autobus crashes involving tankers killed 52 people, portion successful March 2024, different 20 died successful a collision successful Helmand province. In precocious 2022, a tanker overturned successful the Salang Pass, igniting a occurrence that killed 31.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies