Nearly 80 Afghans, including children dead after bus crash via Iran
The Kabul-bound bus crashed late Tuesday night during a long ride on treacherous Afghani terrain after colliding with another vehicle and a motorbike near the Iranian border in the western Afghan province of Herat.
According to officials, 78 people died that included 17 children.
"The car was carrying fuel and it caught fire after a head-on collision with the bus, fully loaded with passengers," according to Ahmadullah Muttaqi, a government communications official in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, told NBC and The New York Times.
Muttaqi added the bus also caught fire and "the majority of people on the bus died of burn injuries."
On Wednesday, the bodies were transferred to Afghanistan's capital Kabul.
Video footage by Afghan news outlet Etilaatroz depicted the large bus engulfed in flames as firefighters battled the blaze and Afghans joined in to aid and its charred remain later hauled away by a larger truck.
"These Afghan refugees were returning home after spending a long time in Iran, but they could not reach their destination as their bus met with a tragic accident," Muttaqi stated.
The Iranian regime has cracked down on undocumented nationals.
It comes as Iran has moved to expel nearly 2 million Afghan nationals from within its border, some who have lived in Iran for decades.
More than 1.2 million since June have forcibly been returned to troubled Afghanistan as Iranian officials have accused Afghans of spying for Israel following its brief military conflict around spring.
Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
UPI
19 minutes ago
- UPI
Intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard announces cuts to office
1 of 4 | Tulsi Gabbard, director of National Intelligence, speaks during a news conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 23. On Wednesday, she announced 40% cuts to staff at the ODNI. File Photo by Eric Lee/UPI | License Photo Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced Wednesday a plan to cut 40% of her office's staff by October in an effort to save taxpayers about $700 million per year. She said the overhaul of the Office of the Director National Intelligence will reduce "bloat" and refocus the agency's mission "in the most agile, effective and efficient way." Gabbard dubbed the plan ODNI 2.0. "Over the last 20 years, ODNI has become bloated and inefficient, and the intelligence community is rife with abuse of power, unauthorized leaks of classified intelligence and politicized weaponization of intelligence," she said. "Under President [Donald] Trump's leadership, ODNI 2.0 is the start of a new era focused on serving our country, fulfilling our core national security mission with excellence, always grounded in the U.S. Constitution, and ensuring the safety, security and freedom of the American people." Congress created the ODNI to oversee all 18 intelligence community agencies within the U.S. government in 2004 as a response to to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. Since its founding, the staff of the ODNI grew to about 1,850, 500 of whom the Trump administration has already cut since the start of the president's second term. In addition to cutting staff, the ODNI won't rehire vacant positions. The cuts will see the duties of the Foreign Malign Influence Center, National Counterproliferation and Biosecurity Center and Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center absorbed into the ODNI's Mission Integration directorate and the National Intelligence Council. Additionally the work of the National Intelligence University will now fall under the Defense Department's National Defense University. The External Research Council will be shuttered and the ODNI's facilities in Reston, Va., will be closed and moved to headquarters. This week in Washington President Donald Trump, alongside commissioner of the Social Security Administration Frank Bisignano, shows his signed proclamation marking the 90th anniversary of the Social Security Act in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday. Photo by Will Oliver/UPI | License Photo
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
'Seriously?' Video shows Southwest pilot take sobriety test before DUI arrest
Newly released video captured the moment law enforcement accused a Southwest Airlines pilot of being under the influence in eastern Georgia before arresting him earlier this year. On Jan. 15, officers arrested New Hampshire man David Allsop, 52, at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, accusing him of driving while intoxicated ahead of a Chicago-bound flight from Georgia, according to Fox 32 and CBS News. Police body cam footage shows officers confronting the pilot and asking him when he last had a drink. He responded that it was the previous night. "Like 10 hours ago at least," the pilot is seen telling the officer. "Well, I can smell an odor consistent with an alcoholic beverage," the officer replied. Allsop proceeds to explain that the scent is caused by a Rogue nicotine pouch that he spits out. Police conduct sobriety test before arresting pilot Police proceed to conduct a field sobriety test on the Air Force veteran, who is seen counting while walking in a straight line. The officer tells Allsop that he exhibited strong signs of intoxication and asks if he's willing to test his blood alcohol content through a blood draw, to which Allsop declines. "That's DUI Less Safe for the willful intention to operate a commercial aircraft," the officer said, referring to the Georgia statute that legally prohibits someone from operating a moving vehicle while under the influence. "Seriously?" Allsop replies. Video also shows police taking Allsop into custody. Southwest Airlines told USA TODAY in January that an employee "has been removed from duty" that day, adding that "customers were accommodated on other flights, and we apologize for the disruption to their travel plans. There's nothing more important to Southwest than the safety of our employees and customers." Attorney faults officers for not following procedures David Chaiken, Allsop's attorney, said the pilot has flown thousands of Southwest Airlines flights without incident for nearly 20 years. "Captain Allsop is an American hero. He served his country for over a decade, flying combat missions andspecial operations missions for the U.S. Air Force," Chaiken said in a statement to USA TODAY. He faulted the police officers for not conducting the sobriety test correctly and not following proper procedures, citing expert opinions. "The recently released bodycam video confirms what should be obvious to anyone who watches it — Captain Allsop committed no crime," Chaiken said. "These procedures are in place for a reason, to prevent mistakes like this one." Contributing: Taylor Ardrey
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
Vance, Hegseth, Miller laud Guard troops, denounce capital protesters
A Humvee is parked in front of Union Station in Washington as members of the National Guard patrol on Monday after President Donald Trump last week deployed the National Guard to assist in crime prevention. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Aug. 20 (UPI) -- As protesters chanted nearby, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller visited National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday amid what the Trump administration says is a crime crackdown. The three Trump administration officials greeted National Guard troops at the capital's Union Station while positioned near a table containing hamburgers for the troops, PBS News reported. "In just the past nine days, we've seen a 35% reduction in violent crime," Vance told those in attendance. "We've seen over a 50% reduction in robberies," he added. "We're seeing really substantial effects because these guys are busting their a*****." Vance said he wanted to thank the National Guard troops in person and hand out some hamburgers to show his appreciation for their efforts. Hegseth said the National Guard deployments in Washington are needed to ensure residents, visitors and those who work in the capital are safe. "The American people, the residents of D.C., deserve a safe and beautiful city," Hegseth said. "That's our mission." He called the National Guard troops "patriots who serve the country" and want to make Washington a "beautiful, safe capital." The National Guard troops are "proud of this mission" and making sure "law and order is established here in the capital," Hegseth added. He said the Defense Department is providing the resources that the troops need and working with law enforcement partners to ensure safety in Washington. Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered and chanted near Union Station, which drew a rebuke from Vance. He said the protesters "hate the idea that Americans can enjoy their communities," according to PBS News. Vance said he went to Union Station with Hegseth and Miller because criminal activity was very high there, which local officials deny. Miller added to Vance's criticism of the protesters by calling them "stupid white hippies" and said they do not represent Washington, D.C.'s residents, The Hill reported. "We are not going to let the communists destroy a great American city, let alone the nation's capital," Miller said. "All these demonstrators you've seen out here in recent days, all these elderly white hippies, they're not part of the city and never have been," Miller said. "We're going to ignore these stupid white hippies that all need to go home and take a nap because they're all over 90 years old," he added. Trump last week put the federal government in control of Washington's Metropolitan Police Department, which has been accused of falsifying crime data. Though Trump administration officials have characterized crime in the city as out of control, in actuality, crime in the district has fallen in recent years or remained flat. An agreement on Friday put the police department under local control, but Trump sought and received National Guard deployments from West Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee and Louisiana. About 1,200 National Guard troops are slated for deployment in the capital, in addition to 800 Washington National Guard troops who already are there, according to The Washington Post.
