A truck carrying Afghans returning from Pakistan overturned on a highway, killing 18 | Transport News

At least 10 children died when a car full of families from Pakistan passed through the highway.

At least 18 people, including women and children, were killed when a truck carrying Afghan refugees who had recently returned from Pakistan overturned on a highway in eastern Afghanistan, officials said.

Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the accident happened in Qarghayi district of Laghman province on Saturday.

The vehicle, heavily loaded with refugee families and their household goods, went off the road at around 5:30am local time (01:00 GMT) near Surkhakan junction in Qarghayi district.

District health officer Aminullah Sharif said the accident occurred when the car fell into a ditch while the driver was asleep.

Officials say at least 10 children have died.

Abdul Malik Niazay, a spokesman for the governor of Laghman province, said more than 30 people were injured, some seriously. The families were staying for a while in the eastern province of Kunar and were on their way to the capital, Kabul.

Emergency responders transferred the injured to hospitals in nearby Nangarhar, where several remain in the main hospital.

The central government has expressed its condolences to the families affected by the accident. Mujahid of the Taliban said in a post on X, “we pray for the speedy recovery of the injured”, adding that he was “deeply saddened” by the tragedy that occurred at the end of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Authority has announced 730,000 afghanis ($10,000) in emergency funds for the affected families.

Fatal road accidents are common in Afghanistan, where highways are badly damaged after decades of war, vehicles are poorly maintained, and traffic laws are not enforced.

At least 20 people have been killed in three road accidents in Afghanistan in the past 10 days, according to Taliban officials and media reports.

The tragedy underscores the growing strain on transportation as thousands of Afghans return from neighboring countries. According to United Nations figures, more than 447,000 Afghans have crossed from Pakistan this year alone following Islamabad’s ongoing crackdown on migrants. Aid groups around the world warn that forced evictions force families to travel in dangerous, overcrowded lorries.