KABUL: At least 22 people were killed and about 36 others injured when a truck carrying returning Afghan refugees overturned on a highway in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, officials said.
Authorities said most of the victims were women and children.
The accident took place in Laghman province on the main highway linking Kabul with Nangarhar, said provincial governor spokesperson Abdul Malik Niazai.
He said 10 children and five women were among the dead. Rescue teams moved the injured to hospitals in Nangarhar.
Provincial health director Aminullah Sharif confirmed the toll and said the truck fell into a ditch after the driver fell asleep.
Officials said the passengers were part of a large wave of Afghans returning from Pakistan following a crackdown on undocumented migrants that began in 2023.
Iran has also stepped up expulsions of Afghan migrants in recent years. Millions have since returned from both countries, including many who had lived abroad for decades.
In a separate incident in Nuristan province, a car plunged into a river on Friday night. The driver survived, while four passengers went missing, the governor’s office said on Saturday.
Rescue teams continued search operations.
Traffic accidents remain frequent in Afghanistan due to poor road conditions and weak enforcement of traffic rules.
