Truck carrying Afghan returnees from Pakistan flips on highway, killing 18

At slightest 10 children among the dormant arsenic a packed motortruck carrying families returning from Pakistan flips connected large highway.

At slightest 18 people, including women and children, were killed erstwhile a cargo motortruck carrying precocious returned Afghan refugees from Pakistan overturned connected a large road successful eastbound Afghanistan, authorities said.

Taliban authorities spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the clang took spot successful the Qarghayi territory of Laghman state connected Saturday.

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The vehicle, heavy loaded with displaced families and their household belongings, veered disconnected the roadworthy astatine astir 5:30am section clip (01:00 GMT) adjacent the Surkhakan intersection successful Qarghayi district.

The provincial Director of Public Health Aminullah Sharif said the mishap occurred erstwhile the motortruck fell into a ditch aft the operator fell asleep.

Authorities said astatine slightest 10 children were among the dead.

Abdul Malik Niazay, a spokesperson for the Laghman provincial governor, said much than 30 different passengers were injured, immoderate critically. The families had been temporarily staying successful eastbound Kunar state and were en way to the capital, Kabul.

Emergency services rapidly transferred the wounded to aesculapian facilities successful neighbouring Nangarhar province, wherever respective stay successful intensive care.

The cardinal authorities expressed ceremonial condolences to the families of the victims. The Taliban’s Mujahid said successful a station connected X, “we commune for the speedy betterment of the injured”, adding that helium was “deeply saddened” by the calamity which took spot astatine the extremity of the Muslim vacation of Eid al-Adha.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Authority announced 730,000 afghanis ($10,000) successful exigency fiscal assistance for the affected families.

Deadly postulation accidents are communal successful Afghanistan, wherever highways are severely degraded aft decades of conflict, vehicles are poorly maintained, and postulation regulations are seldom enforced.

At slightest 20 radical person been killed successful 3 abstracted postulation accidents reported crossed Afghanistan implicit the past 10 days, according to section Taliban authorities and media reports.

The calamity highlights the increasing strain connected proscription infrastructure arsenic hundreds of thousands of Afghans instrumentality from neighbouring countries. According to United Nations figures, much than 447,000 Afghans person crossed backmost from Pakistan this twelvemonth unsocial pursuing a sustained crackdown connected undocumented migrants by Islamabad. International assistance groups pass that forced expulsions are compelling families to question successful hazardous, packed commercialized cargo trucks.