Afghan Bus Crash Kills 45, Taliban Blamed

A bus crash in Afghanistan killed 45 people on Friday when the vehicle collided with the wreckage of a truck attacked by Taliban insurgents.

The battered oil tanker was left by the insurgents in the middle of a narrow road near the border of Kandahar and Helmand provinces in southern Afghanistan. Police had considered the area too dangerous to enter.

But the bus smashed into the truck just before sunrise on Friday. The oil inside caused the bus to burst into flames, according to Abdul Razaq, the provincial police chief of Kandahar.

Javeed Faisal, the spokesman for the governor of Kandahar province, stated that 45 people were killed in the Afghan bus crash, while 10 were injured. Police, soldiers, and ambulances rushed to the scene, located in a desolate area of the Middle Eastern agency.

Many of the victims of he fiery crash were burned beyond recognition. Razaq added that it will be difficult to establish their identities. Mohammad Habib, one of the collision’s survivors, cried as he searched for his brother, who was also aboard the bus. Habib said:

“I don’t care about my belongings and money that were burned inside the bus, but please help me find my brother, dead or alive. How will I face my mother without him?”

The bus was on its way from the capital of Helmand province. It was scheduled to stop in Kandahar city, then travel north to the Afghan capital of Kabul. The survivors were taken to Mirwais Hospital in Kandahar city, including men, women, and children.

Traffic accidents are fairly common in Afghanistan, which has a mix of people who ignore the rules of the road, as well as a mix of cars, trucks, bikes, pedestrians, and animals. Roads outside Kabul are also often poorly maintained. Those who travel on them can be subject to roadside bombs and even highway robberies.