The incident underlines the precarious situation faced by refugees as they navigate dangers both in transit and in their home country.
Tragic Bus Crash Claims Lives of Afghan Deportees from Iran
Tragic Bus Crash Claims Lives of Afghan Deportees from Iran
A catastrophic accident in Afghanistan results in the loss of 79 lives, predominantly Afghan migrants deported from Iran.
A tragic traffic accident in western Afghanistan has tragically claimed the lives of 79 individuals, including 17 children, all aboard a bus transporting Afghan migrants recently deported from Iran. A Taliban interior ministry spokesperson confirmed the devastating news to the BBC, highlighting the circumstances surrounding the horrific crash.
The accident occurred late Tuesday night when the bus collided with a truck and motorcycle in Herat province, igniting a fire that engulfed the vehicle. All passengers, who were Afghan migrants returning home, lost their lives in the incident, in addition to two occupants from the other vehicles involved. Ahmadullah Mottaqi, the Taliban's director of information and culture in Herat, communicated the grim details to BBC Pashto earlier.
The surge in deportations by Iranian authorities has intensified in recent months, targeting undocumented Afghan migrants fleeing conflict and seeking refuge in Iran. "All the passengers were migrants who had boarded the vehicle in Islam Qala," explained provincial governor spokesman Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi to AFP, regarding the town close to the Afghanistan–Iran border.
Local police indicated that the cause of the accident was the bus driver's "excessive speed and negligence," a reminder of Afghanistan's perilous road conditions, compounded by decades of conflict and lax enforcement of driving regulations. Traffic accidents are a frequent occurrence in the region.
Since the 1970s, millions of Afghans have sought sanctuary in Iran and Pakistan, particularly during significant upheavals such as the Soviet invasion and the Taliban’s resurgence in power. Presently, heightened anti-Afghan sentiment in Iran subjects the refugees to institutionalized discrimination.
Controversially, Iran had earlier set a deadline for undocumented Afghans to exit voluntarily. However, escalating national security concerns have led to forced repatriations of hundreds of thousands following a brief conflict with Israel. Critics suggest that Tehran may be using Afghan deportees as scapegoats for its own security issues. The UN Refugee Agency reports over 1.5 million Afghans have departed Iran since January, many of whom had lived there for generations.
Experts are warning of Afghanistan's inability to accommodate the increasing number of returnees in light of its already struggling economy under Taliban governance. The country faces mounting pressure to support a growing population of returnees from Pakistan alongside those deported from Iran. "The return of so many people is creating an additional strain on already overstretched resources, and this new wave of refugees comes at a time when Afghanistan is beginning to feel the brutal impacts of aid cuts," stated Arshad Malik, country director of Save the Children Afghanistan.
The accident occurred late Tuesday night when the bus collided with a truck and motorcycle in Herat province, igniting a fire that engulfed the vehicle. All passengers, who were Afghan migrants returning home, lost their lives in the incident, in addition to two occupants from the other vehicles involved. Ahmadullah Mottaqi, the Taliban's director of information and culture in Herat, communicated the grim details to BBC Pashto earlier.
The surge in deportations by Iranian authorities has intensified in recent months, targeting undocumented Afghan migrants fleeing conflict and seeking refuge in Iran. "All the passengers were migrants who had boarded the vehicle in Islam Qala," explained provincial governor spokesman Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi to AFP, regarding the town close to the Afghanistan–Iran border.
Local police indicated that the cause of the accident was the bus driver's "excessive speed and negligence," a reminder of Afghanistan's perilous road conditions, compounded by decades of conflict and lax enforcement of driving regulations. Traffic accidents are a frequent occurrence in the region.
Since the 1970s, millions of Afghans have sought sanctuary in Iran and Pakistan, particularly during significant upheavals such as the Soviet invasion and the Taliban’s resurgence in power. Presently, heightened anti-Afghan sentiment in Iran subjects the refugees to institutionalized discrimination.
Controversially, Iran had earlier set a deadline for undocumented Afghans to exit voluntarily. However, escalating national security concerns have led to forced repatriations of hundreds of thousands following a brief conflict with Israel. Critics suggest that Tehran may be using Afghan deportees as scapegoats for its own security issues. The UN Refugee Agency reports over 1.5 million Afghans have departed Iran since January, many of whom had lived there for generations.
Experts are warning of Afghanistan's inability to accommodate the increasing number of returnees in light of its already struggling economy under Taliban governance. The country faces mounting pressure to support a growing population of returnees from Pakistan alongside those deported from Iran. "The return of so many people is creating an additional strain on already overstretched resources, and this new wave of refugees comes at a time when Afghanistan is beginning to feel the brutal impacts of aid cuts," stated Arshad Malik, country director of Save the Children Afghanistan.
