79 individuals, including 17 children, were killed when a bus carrying deported Afghans collided with other vehicles and caught fire.
Dozens of Afghan Deportees Die in Tragic Bus Crash in Western Afghanistan
Dozens of Afghan Deportees Die in Tragic Bus Crash in Western Afghanistan
A devastating accident involving deported Afghan migrants results in significant loss of life.
In a tragic incident, a bus carrying Afghan migrants who had been deported from Iran met with a fatal accident in western Afghanistan, resulting in the death of 79 individuals, including 17 children. The Taliban interior ministry confirmed the incident, which occurred on Tuesday night in Herat province when the bus collided with a truck and motorcycle before catching fire.
Ahmadullah Mottaqi, the Taliban’s director of information and culture in Herat, reported that all passengers aboard the bus perished in the crash, alongside two occupants from the other vehicles involved. Recent months have seen Iran intensifying its deportation efforts against undocumented Afghan migrants fleeing their war-torn homeland.
The provincial governor's spokesman, Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi, indicated that all the passengers embarked on the ill-fated journey from Islam Qala, a town close to the Afghanistan-Iran border. According to Herat police, the bus driver's excessive speed, coupled with negligence, was identified as a primary cause of the accident. This incident underscores the frequent traffic accidents in Afghanistan, attributed to deteriorating road conditions and the lax enforcement of driving regulations.
Since the 1970s, millions of Afghans have sought refuge in neighboring Iran and Pakistan. Recent deportations have led to heightened anti-Afghan sentiment in Iran, where many face systemic discrimination. Following escalating tensions with Israel and subsequent military actions, Iranian authorities have forcibly returned significant numbers of Afghans, citing national security concerns, although critics claim it serves as a diversion from Iran's internal failures.
Statistics reveal over 1.5 million Afghans have been expelled from Iran since the beginning of the year, many having resided there for generations. Experts warn that Afghanistan's current government lacks the capacity to accommodate the influx of returnees, further exacerbated by existing strains from an influx of Afghans returning from Pakistan. Arshad Malik, country director of Save the Children Afghanistan, noted that this wave of deportations comes amid severe aid cutbacks, placing additional pressure on Afghanistan's already depleted resources.
Ahmadullah Mottaqi, the Taliban’s director of information and culture in Herat, reported that all passengers aboard the bus perished in the crash, alongside two occupants from the other vehicles involved. Recent months have seen Iran intensifying its deportation efforts against undocumented Afghan migrants fleeing their war-torn homeland.
The provincial governor's spokesman, Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi, indicated that all the passengers embarked on the ill-fated journey from Islam Qala, a town close to the Afghanistan-Iran border. According to Herat police, the bus driver's excessive speed, coupled with negligence, was identified as a primary cause of the accident. This incident underscores the frequent traffic accidents in Afghanistan, attributed to deteriorating road conditions and the lax enforcement of driving regulations.
Since the 1970s, millions of Afghans have sought refuge in neighboring Iran and Pakistan. Recent deportations have led to heightened anti-Afghan sentiment in Iran, where many face systemic discrimination. Following escalating tensions with Israel and subsequent military actions, Iranian authorities have forcibly returned significant numbers of Afghans, citing national security concerns, although critics claim it serves as a diversion from Iran's internal failures.
Statistics reveal over 1.5 million Afghans have been expelled from Iran since the beginning of the year, many having resided there for generations. Experts warn that Afghanistan's current government lacks the capacity to accommodate the influx of returnees, further exacerbated by existing strains from an influx of Afghans returning from Pakistan. Arshad Malik, country director of Save the Children Afghanistan, noted that this wave of deportations comes amid severe aid cutbacks, placing additional pressure on Afghanistan's already depleted resources.
