Dozens dead in two bus accidents in Afghanistan | Traffic news
At least 50 people died in accidents on the same highway in Ghazni province between Kabul and the southern city of Kandahar.
According to official figures, at least 50 people have died and dozens more have been injured in two bus accidents in central Afghanistan.
The accidents occurred late Wednesday on the same highway in Ghazni province between the capital Kabul and the southern city of Kandahar, Hamidullah Nisar, head of the province’s information and culture department, said on X on Thursday.
In the first case, a passenger bus collided with a fuel truck near Shahbaz village in central Ghazni. In the other accident, a bus collided with a truck in the eastern district of Andar, Nisar said.
Hafiz Omar, a spokesman for the governor of Ghazni province, said 50 people were killed in the accidents.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid put the death toll at 52 and said 65 people were injured. Other officials said up to 76 people were injured.
“It is with great regret that we learned that two fatal traffic accidents occurred on the Kabul-Kandahar highway,” Mujahid said in a statement.
“These incidents have left us deeply disturbed and saddened… We urge the relevant authorities to conduct an immediate investigation into both incidents, determine the causes and take the necessary measures to prevent such tragedies in the future,” he added.
Condolences from the Islamic Emirate to the victims of two traffic accidents on the Kabul-Kandahar highway https://t.co/9b75dwOrKlhttps://t.co/lH9wVsyx59 pic.twitter.com/8D86WNS3OE
— Zabihullah (@Zabehulah_M33) December 19, 2024
Omar said: “The injured have been taken to hospitals in Ghazni and authorities are in the process of handing over the bodies to families.”
Patients in more serious condition were transferred to Kabul, he added; Women and children are also among the victims.
Road accidents are common in Afghanistan, partly due to poor roads after decades of conflict, dangerous driving on highways and a lack of regulation.
In March, more than 20 people were killed and 38 injured when a bus collided with a tanker truck and burst into flames in southern Helmand province.
Another serious accident involving a fuel tanker occurred in December 2022 when the vehicle overturned and caught fire at the high-altitude Salang Pass in Afghanistan, killing 31 people and sustaining burns to dozens more.
