At least 79 people, including 19 children, have been confirmed dead after a commercial bus carrying passengers crashed in the north-western region of Afghanistan while returning from Iran.
The tragedy unfolded when the bus collided with a fuel-laden truck and a motorbike, causing a massive fire that instantly killed many passengers on the spot, while two others sustained severe injuries.
According to Afghanistan’s provincial information department, two passengers who had been injured in last night’s crash later succumbed to their wounds in the hospital, raising the death toll to a total of 79 victims.
“Nineteen children were among those killed,” Army spokesman Mujeebullah Ansar confirmed, emphasizing the devastating impact of the crash on families and communities in the affected area.
This tragic incident occurred just one day after Iran’s Interior Minister, Eskandar Momeni, announced a policy requiring an additional 800,000 people to leave the country by next March as part of wider migration controls.
In recent months, nearly 1.8 million Afghans have been forcibly returned from Iran amid increasing tensions over migration, with many struggling to find safe and secure places to rebuild their lives.
Furthermore, a total of 184,459 Afghan nationals have been sent back from Pakistan, and more than 5,000 others were deported from Turkey since the beginning of the year.
Additionally, nearly 10,000 Afghan prisoners have been repatriated, mostly from Pakistan.
In July, the Taliban publicly criticized neighboring countries for the mass expulsion of Afghans, condemning Iran and Pakistan for deporting foreigners they claim are residing illegally, while many Afghans face uncertain futures as a result.
