At least 22 people, including 10 children and five women, were killed and around 36 others injured after a truck carrying Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan overturned on a highway in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, officials said.The accident occurred in Laghman province on the main highway linking Kabul with Nangarhar province.According to provincial health director Aminullah Sharif, the truck plunged into a ditch after the driver reportedly fell asleep, as reported by news agency AP.Abdul Malik Niazai, spokesperson for the Laghman governor, said the injured were transferred to hospitals in neighbouring Nangarhar province for treatment.Most of the victims were women and children.
Refugees returning from Pakistan
The passengers were among thousands of Afghans returning from Pakistan, which launched a crackdown on undocumented migrants in 2023 and has since deported or pressured many Afghans to leave.Iran has also stepped up expulsions of Afghan migrants.Millions of Afghans have returned from the two neighbouring countries in recent years, including many who were born in Pakistan and spent decades living and working there.The crash occurred on the road connecting Jalalabad and Kabul. Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said he was “deeply saddened” by the tragedy and prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured.Data from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration showed that about 447,400 Afghans have returned from Pakistan since the start of this year.Traffic accidents are common in Afghanistan, where poor road conditions, weak enforcement of regulations and dangerous driving practices frequently contribute to deadly crashes.In a separate incident, a car veered off a road and fell into a river in Nuristan province on Friday night, injuring the driver and leaving four passengers missing, according to local authorities.Rescue teams were continuing search operations on Saturday.The latest tragedy comes months after a bus carrying Afghan migrants returning from Iran collided with two other vehicles in western Afghanistan in August, killing 78 people, including 19 children.
