The death toll from a bus accident in western Afghanistan has climbed to 79 after two survivors succumbed to their injuries, an official from the interim Taliban administration confirmed to Al Jazeera.
The crash occurred late Tuesday in Guzara district of Herat province when a bus carrying Afghan returnees from Iran collided with a motorcycle and a fuel truck, sparking a massive fire.
Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesman for the interim Interior Ministry, said at least 19 children were among the deceased. Mohammad Janan Moqadas, chief physician at the military hospital, noted that many victims were too badly burned to be identified.
AFP journalists reported that cleanup teams were removing the burned-out bus and twisted wreckage of other vehicles. Witness Akbar Tawakoli said, “There was a lot of fire… a lot of screaming, but we couldn’t get within 50 metres to rescue anyone. Only three people survived, and their clothes were burned.” Another witness, Abdullah, was quoted saying, “most of the passengers were women and children, adding to the tragedy.”
The bus was carrying Afghans recently deported from Iran back to Kabul, said provincial spokesman Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi. The central government has launched an investigation. In a statement, it expressed deep sorrow over the loss of life and injuries from the collision and fire.
According to the UN migration agency, over 1.5 million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan this year, many arriving with limited resources and facing harsh conditions in a country struggling with poverty and unemployment.
State-run Bakhtar News Agency described the crash as one of Afghanistan’s deadliest in recent years. Previous major incidents include two separate bus crashes in December 2023 that killed 52 people, a March 2024 collision in Helmand province that claimed 20 lives, and a 2022 tanker accident in Salang Pass that killed 31.
