Afghanistan bus crash death toll rises to 79

The death toll from a collision between an overcrowded bus carrying Afghans refugees expelled from Iran and two other vehicles on the Herat-Kabul highway has risen to 79.

The crash in western Afghanistan involved a motorcycle, a truck and a bus late on Tuesday, said Ahmdullah Muttaqi, head of the information department for Herat’s provincial government.

Abdul Mateen Qaniee, spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, said the bus caught fire after the accident, which happened a 30-minute drive outside Herat. 

Video footage from the scene showed bright flames engulfing the bus, with a fire truck trying to douse the flames. A charred metal skeleton remained of the bus afterwards, pictures showed.

“We urge transportation authorities to provide accurate information about the accident as soon as possible and to share their findings regarding the responsible party,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Afghan government.

Herat, a key border province of Afghanistan touching Iran and Turkmenistan, is currently hosting tens of thousands of deported migrants from Iran.