22 Afghan refugees killed as truck overturns after returning from Pakistan

At least 22 Afghan refugees were killed and 36 others injured when a truck carrying returnees from Pakistan overturned on a highway in eastern Afghanistan.

The accident took place in Laghman province along the main highway linking Kabul and Nangarhar on Saturday (May 30), according to provincial governor’s spokesperson Abdul Malik Niazi.

Officials said, among those killed were 10 children and five women. The victims were mostly from low-income families.

The injured were rescued and taken to hospitals in neighbouring Nangarhar province, where several remain in critical condition.

Provincial Public Health Director Aminullah Sharif said preliminary investigations suggest the driver fell asleep while driving after a long journey, causing the truck to lose control and plunge into a roadside ravine.

The deadly crash comes amid a large-scale return of Afghan refugees from Pakistan and Iran. Over the past few years, hundreds of thousands of Afghans—many of whom were born and raised abroad—have been forced to return amid changing political and immigration policies in neighbouring countries.

In a separate incident, four passengers went missing after a vehicle veered off a road and plunged into a mountain river in Afghanistan’s remote Nuristan province on Friday night. The driver was seriously injured, while rescue teams continue searching for the missing passengers, provincial authorities said.

Road accidents remain a major challenge in Afghanistan, where deteriorated infrastructure, mountainous terrain and frequent traffic violations contribute to a high number of fatal crashes each year.

Source: NDTV