Herat, Afghanistan — At least 71 people, including 17 children, lost their lives in a devastating road accident in Afghanistan’s western Herat province when a passenger bus carrying recently deported Afghan refugees from Iran collided with a truck and motorcycle, triggering a massive fire.
Provincial government spokesman Ahmadullah Muttaqi confirmed the toll, while local police attributed the tragedy to the bus’s excessive speed and driver negligence. The accident occurred in Guzara district, just outside Herat city, as the overcrowded bus made its way toward Kabul after departing from Islam Qala, a key border crossing with Iran.
A bus carrying deported migrants collided with a truck and a motorcycle in Afghanistan’s western Herat province on August 19, bursting into flames and killing at least 71 people, including 17 children, according to local authorities pic.twitter.com/MZaag3pgF8
— TRT World (@trtworld) August 19, 2025
According to police, most casualties were bus passengers, though two individuals in the truck and two on the motorcycle were also killed. Survivors recounted chaotic scenes as flames engulfed the vehicle, leaving little chance for many passengers to escape.
Taliban government chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the victims had been among the growing number of Afghans deported from Iran in recent months. Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni recently announced that 800,000 Afghans would be expelled by March next year, intensifying the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) estimates that 450,000 Afghans have returned from Iran since early June alone, many without resources or shelter. In total, 1.4 million Afghans have been forced to return this year, compounding Afghanistan’s challenges as it struggles to reintegrate returnees amid economic collapse, widespread poverty, and limited infrastructure.
Traffic accidents are tragically common in Afghanistan, where poor roads, lack of regulation, and unsafe driving contribute to high fatality rates. Last December, similar bus accidents claimed at least 52 lives, underscoring systemic road safety failures.
Local official Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi told AFP that all passengers had boarded at Islam Qala after deportation, highlighting the perilous journeys faced by returnees already grappling with displacement and uncertainty. The incident has sparked calls for urgent humanitarian intervention, as Afghanistan’s limited resources remain stretched by waves of returnees from both Iran and Pakistan.
This latest tragedy illustrates the intertwined crises of forced migration, weak infrastructure, and conflict-driven vulnerability that continue to devastate Afghan families. Aid agencies warn that without international support, such accidents may increase as repatriations accelerate.
The Afghan authorities, in coordination with humanitarian organizations, are working to identify victims and provide relief to survivors, though officials admit that the scale of returnees has severely strained national capacities.
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