Watch Tragedy on Roads: : Over 50 Dead, 17 Children Among Victims in Fiery Bus Crash, Only 3 Survive

Kabul (The Uttam Hindu): A tragic road accident in western Afghanistan on Wednesday morning claimed the lives of more than 50 people, including 17 children. The accident occurred when a bus carrying Afghan refugees deported from Iran collided with a fuel tanker and a motorcycle, leading to a massive fire that engulfed the bus.

According to provincial government spokesperson Ahmadullah Muttaki and local police, the devastating crash happened when the high-speed bus first hit a motorcycle and then lost control, ramming into a fuel-laden tanker. The collision sparked a fierce blaze, leaving passengers with no chance to escape.

As per an Al Jazeera report, preliminary investigations suggest that the reckless overspeeding and negligence of the bus driver caused the accident. Provincial official Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi confirmed that the bus was en route to Kabul, carrying Afghan refugees recently deported from Iran. The passengers had boarded the bus from the border crossing point of Islam Qala.

Only three passengers managed to survive the tragedy. Among the dead were two people from the truck and two from the motorcycle. The horrific incident comes amid mass deportations of Afghan nationals by Iran. Earlier, Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni had announced that nearly 800,000 Afghan citizens would be deported by March. Authorities said efforts are underway to identify the bodies, while the injured have been admitted to nearby hospitals.