A truck carrying Afghan families returning from Pakistan overturned in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing 18 people, including 10 children. The accident occurred on the road between Jalalabad and Kabul, with 29 others injured.
The incident underscores the perilous conditions faced by Afghan refugees and migrants returning to their home country, highlighting the dangers of travel due to poor infrastructure and regulatory failures, and the broader humanitarian crisis stemming from displacement.
A truck carrying Afghan families returning from Pakistan overturned in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of 18 people, including 10 children. The vehicle was also carrying five women and three men, and left 29 others injured. The accident occurred on the route connecting Jalalabad to the capital, Kabul.
Deadly traffic accidents are a frequent occurrence in Afghanistan, attributed to factors such as poor road conditions following decades of conflict, hazardous driving practices, and insufficient regulatory oversight. The incident highlights the precarious journeys undertaken by Afghan families returning from Pakistan, where authorities have intensified their stance on migrants and refugees, prompting an exodus that often involves entire families transporting their belongings via trucks.
According to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration, approximately 447,400 Afghans have returned from Pakistan since the beginning of the year. This situation follows a similar tragedy last August, when a bus collision involving Afghan migrants returning from Iran claimed the lives of 78 people, including 19 children.