Bus Crash in Herat Kills At Least 71 Returning Afghan Migrants

A tragic traffic accident in western Afghanistan’s Herat province resulted in the deaths of at least 71 people, including 17 children, when a passenger bus carrying Afghan migrants recently deported from Iran collided with a truck and a motorcycle and caught fire. The victims were migrants who boarded the bus at the Islam Qala border crossing and were en route to Kabul. Authorities attributed the crash primarily to the bus’s excessive speed and negligence. Two people in the truck and two on the motorcycle also died, while only three bus passengers survived. This incident highlights the dangers faced by returning Afghan migrants amid a surge in deportations from Iran, where millions of Afghans have been pressured to leave in recent months. Poor road conditions, decades of conflict, and lack of traffic regulation contribute to frequent deadly accidents in Afghanistan.