Bus carrying migrants from Iran to Afghanistan bursts into flames after crash, killing 78
78 people — including 17 children — were killed late when a passenger bus carrying Afghan migrants returning from Iran collided with a fuel truck and motorcycle in Herat province, western Afghanistan.
Bus slams into fuel truck, sparking deadly blaze
The crash occurred in Guzara District, just outside Herat city, on Tuesday (19 Aug). Police said the bus was speeding when it first hit a motorcycle, before ramming into a fuel truck.
The impact triggered a massive fire that engulfed all three vehicles.
Provincial government spokesman Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi initially said on Wednesday (20 Aug) that 76 lives were lost in the incident.
Source: @Worldsource24 on X
Two people in the truck and two on the motorcycle were among the victims.
Only three passengers initially survived — but two later succumbed to their injuries, raising the death toll to 78.
Eyewitnesses said most of the victims were women and children. Many bodies were burned beyond recognition and had to be sent to a military hospital, France 24 reported.
Passengers were Afghan migrants deported from Iran
The bus had been travelling from Islam Qala, a border crossing with Iran, to Kabul.
According to Mr Saeedi, all passengers were Afghan migrants recently deported from Iran, which has pledged to expel hundreds of thousands of Afghans as part of a crackdown.
The UN migration agency noted that at least 1.5 million Afghans have already returned from Iran and Pakistan this year, with another 800,000 expected to be deported by March 2026, Al Jazeera reported.
Among deadliest road accidents in years
Reporters at the scene described the burnt-out shell of the bus and the mangled wreckage of the other vehicles strewn across the highway.
Afghanistan’s state-run Bakhtar News Agency called it one of the deadliest road accidents in recent years.
Source: BSS News
Deadly crashes are sadly common in Afghanistan, where decades of conflict have left roads in poor condition, traffic rules are weakly enforced, and reckless driving is widespread.
Just last December, two separate bus crashes involving a fuel tanker and a truck in central Afghanistan killed at least 52 people.
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Featured image adapted from @Worldsource24 on X and BSS News.
