Dozens killed in two passenger bus crashes in Afghanistan

Al Jazeera

Two bus crashes in central Afghanistan have killed at least 50 people and injured dozens more, according to officials.

The accidents took place on the same highway in Ghazni province between the capital, Kabul, and southern Kandahar city late on Wednesday, provincial head of information and culture Hamidullah Nisar said on X on Thursday.

In the first, a passenger bus collided with a fuel tanker near Shahbaz village in central Ghazni. In the other accident, a bus hit 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 chief 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.

“We learned with great regret that two fatal traffic accidents occurred on the Kabul-Kandahar Highway,” Mujahid said in a statement.

“These incidents have deeply disturbed and saddened us … We urge the relevant authorities to conduct an immediate investigation into both incidents, identify the causes, and take necessary actions to prevent such tragedies in the future,” he added.
Dozens killed in two passenger bus crashes in Afghanistan