Afghanistan Truck Crash Leaves 18 Dead

At least 18 people, including 10 children, were killed and 29 others injured after a truck carrying returning Afghan families overturned in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, officials said.

The accident occurred on the highway linking Jalalabad and Kabul in Laghman province, according to provincial authorities.

Abdul Malik Niazay, spokesperson for the Laghman governor, said the victims included 10 children, five women, and three men.

“The truck overturned while transporting Afghan families returning from Pakistan,” he said.

Many of the passengers were reportedly among thousands of Afghans returning home after Pakistan tightened measures against undocumented migrants and refugees, prompting a large-scale exodus.

According to figures from the United Nations refugee and migration agencies, more than 447,000 Afghans have returned from Pakistan since the beginning of the year.

Deadly road accidents remain common in Afghanistan due to poor road conditions, reckless driving, aging vehicles, and weak enforcement of traffic regulations after decades of conflict.

The latest tragedy comes months after a major crash in western Afghanistan last August, when a bus carrying returning Afghan migrants collided with other vehicles, killing 78 people, including 19 children.