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Miami Herald
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Nearly 80 Afghans, including children dead after bus crash via Iran
Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Nearly 80 Afghan nationals, including more than a dozen children, died in a fiery bus crash on its way out of Iran to Afghanistan in Iran's ongoing push to rid millions of foreigners. 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.
NBC News
12 hours ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Bus crash kills more than 70 Afghans deported from Iran, including 17 children
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — At least 75 people, including 17 children, have been killed in Afghanistan in a traffic accident involving a bus carrying migrants who were deported from Iran, officials said Wednesday. The bus was traveling to the Afghan capital of Kabul from neighboring Iran late Tuesday when it collided with a motorbike and another vehicle in the western province of Herat near the Iranian border, according to senior Afghan government official Ahmadullah Muttaqi. 'The car was carrying fuel and it caught fire after a head-on collision with the bus, fully loaded with passengers,' he said. 'The bus also caught fire and the majority of people on the bus died of burn injuries.' All 73 Afghan migrants on the bus, 17 of them children, were killed along with two people from the other vehicles. Two others were injured, Muttaqi said. The migrants are among hundreds of thousands of Afghans who have returned in recent months from Iran and Pakistan, both of which announced a crackdown in October 2023 on people they said were living there illegally. There are fears that Afghanistan could be further destabilized by the mass expulsions, which have been criticized by international rights groups as well as Afghanistan's ruling Taliban as a violation of international norms and humanitarian principles. Many of those returning have lived outside Afghanistan for decades and are able to bring only what they can carry. '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 said. Traffic accidents are common in Afghanistan, where decades of war have left roads in disrepair and traffic laws are poorly enforced. Since the 1970s, millions of people have fled Afghanistan for Iran and Pakistan, especially during the Soviet invasion in 1979 and the Taliban's return to power in 2021. Afghan migrants in both countries say they have faced systemic discrimination and even violence. U.N. human rights officials said last week that over 2.2 million people had returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan since the start of the year, including more than 1.8 million from Iran and almost 400,000 from Pakistan. Authorities in both countries deny they are targeting Afghans specifically. Experts say many of the Afghan migrants were either forcibly deported or compelled to return in the face of threats, harassment and intimidation. Iran had told undocumented Afghans to leave the country by July 6, but departures accelerated amid a 12-day conflict in June between Iran and Israel, during which some Iranians accused Afghan migrants of espionage. The deadline has since been extended to Sept. 6. The U.N. says the surge in the number of people returning to Afghanistan has created a 'multi-layered human rights crisis' and that some have been tortured and threatened by the Taliban because of their identity or personal history. It says women and girls face an even higher risk of persecution in Afghanistan, where they are denied access to education past the sixth grade. Taliban officials say people returning to Afghanistan are not being mistreated and that they receive cash, food, health care and other support upon their arrival. Afghanistan is already struggling to provide basic services to its population of more than 40 million, more than half of which relies on humanitarian assistance even as U.S. and other international funding is cut. Thousands of Afghans in the United States are also facing deportation after a federal appeals court last month allowed the Trump administration to remove protections enabling them to live and work in the U.S. temporarily. Trump administration officials said Afghans in the U.S. no longer needed protected status because the situation in their home country is getting better.
Euronews
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Bus crash in Afghanistan kills dozens of migrants returning from Iran
At least 79 people, including 19 children, were killed in northwestern Afghanistan when a bus carrying Afghan migrants deported from Iran collided with a truck and a motorcyle, according to local media reports. The collision — which happened on Tuesday evening in Herat province — caused a massive fire that killed many people on the spot, Tolo News reported. Two people were also injured in the crash, according to interior ministry spokesperson Abdul Mateen Qani. Provincial government official Ahmadullah Muttaqi shared a video on X showing the burnt-out structure of a bus engulfed in flames. The footage could not be independently verified by Euronews. While traffic accidents are common in Afghanistan, mainly due to poor road conditions and a lack of driving regulations, this is believed to be one of the worst crashes in years. The Taliban criticised neighbouring countries in July for the mass expulsion of Afghans, as Iran and Pakistan expel foreigners who they say are living there illegally. Tehran and Islamabad deny targeting Afghans, who have fled their homeland over the decades to escape war, poverty or Taliban rule. Nearly 1.8 million Afghans have been forcibly returned from Iran in the past few months. A further 184,459 were sent back from Pakistan and more than 5,000 were deported from Turkey since the beginning of the year. Additionally, nearly 10,000 Afghan prisoners have been repatriated, mostly from Pakistan. Afghanistan's Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said some 6 million Afghan refugees remain overseas.
The Irish Sun
14 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
At least 17 children among 76 people dead after horror crash left a bus on fire after colliding with truck and motorbike
The bus was reportedly carrying refugees who had been deported from Iran CRASH TRAGEDY At least 17 children among 76 people dead after horror crash left a bus on fire after colliding with truck and motorbike AT least 76 people are dead including 17 children after a horrific crash between a passenger bus, a truck and a motorbike. The bus burst into flames after colliding with the smaller vehicles in Afghanistan's Herat province on Tuesday night. 1 The bus caught fire after the collision Credit: X/@Ahmadmuttaqi01 Local government spokesman Ahmadullah Muttaqi said the bus was carrying refugees back from Iran. Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi, spokesman for the Herat provincial government, said: "Seventy-six citizens of the country [...] lost their lives in the incident, and three others were seriously injured." Police in the Guzara district, outside Herat city, said the truck had been carrying fuel - which caused the catastrophic fire. More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos. Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun
Scottish Sun
14 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
At least 17 children among 76 people dead after horror crash left a bus on fire after colliding with truck and motorbike
The bus was reportedly carrying refugees who had been deported from Iran CRASH TRAGEDY At least 17 children among 76 people dead after horror crash left a bus on fire after colliding with truck and motorbike Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AT least 76 people are dead including 17 children after a horrific crash between a passenger bus, a truck and a motorbike. The bus burst into flames after colliding with the smaller vehicles in Afghanistan's Herat province on Tuesday night. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 The bus caught fire after the collision Credit: X/@Ahmadmuttaqi01 Local government spokesman Ahmadullah Muttaqi said the bus was carrying refugees back from Iran. Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi, spokesman for the Herat provincial government, said: "Seventy-six citizens of the country [...] lost their lives in the incident, and three others were seriously injured." Police in the Guzara district, outside Herat city, said the truck had been carrying fuel - which caused the catastrophic fire. More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos. Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun
