A tragic bus accident in western Afghanistan on August 19, 2025, resulted in the deaths of 79 individuals, including 19 children. The bus, transporting Afghan migrants who had recently returned from Iran, crashed and ignited.
The collision took place in the Guzara district of Herat province when the passenger bus collided with a motorcycle and a fuel truck.
According to Afghan government official Ahmadullah Muttaqi, the fuel truck caught fire after colliding with the bus, which was fully loaded with passengers. The resulting fire led to most of the fatalities being due to burn injuries.
The bus had been en route from Islam Qala, a border crossing between Afghanistan and Iran, to Kabul when the incident occurred. While most of the deceased were on the bus, fatalities also included those on the motorcycle and in the truck.
Herat province police attributed the accident to excessive speed and negligence.
Witness Akbar Tawakoli recounted, “There was a lot of fire… There was a lot of screaming, but we couldn’t even get within 50 meters (approximately 55 yards) to rescue anyone.”
The victims were among many Afghan migrants returning home post-expulsion from Iran. Over 2.2 million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan in recent months, with more than 1.8 million coming from Iran.
Iran initially set a July 6 deadline for undocumented Afghans to leave, later extending it to September 6. This led to spikes in border crossings starting mid-June, with some days seeing 40,000 people entering Afghanistan.
Many returning Afghans had been living outside the country for decades, having left during the Soviet invasion in 1979 and after the Taliban seized power in 2021. They often held low-wage jobs in Iranian cities, such as construction work.
Deportations surged following a March program Iran implemented, especially after its conflict with Israel, fueled by baseless allegations that Afghans engaged in espionage for Israel before and during the conflict.
The United Nations reports that over 500,000 Afghans were deported from Iran within 16 days following the end of the conflict with Israel in June, marking a significant instance of forced displacement this decade.
The death toll from the crash rose to 79 after two survivors, initially rescued from the wreckage, succumbed to burn injuries at a military hospital in Herat. Mohammad Janan Moqadas, the hospital’s chief physician, noted that many bodies were too badly burned to identify.
Traffic accidents are frequent in Afghanistan due to poor road conditions from years of conflict, risky driving on highways, and weak traffic law enforcement. The country’s infrastructure has further deteriorated since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
The accident highlights the perilous conditions facing Afghan returnees traveling on Afghanistan’s deteriorating roads. Many returnees lack jobs or housing, aggravating the humanitarian crisis in a nation where nearly half of its 46 million citizens rely on humanitarian aid.
In December 2023, two separate bus accidents involving tankers claimed 52 lives. In March 2024, 20 more died in a collision in Helmand province. In late 2022, a tanker overturned in the Salang Pass, causing a fire that killed 31 individuals.
The Taliban government expressed condolences for the victims and launched an investigation into the accident. Transportation authorities have been tasked with gathering details and identifying those responsible.
Afghanistan faces challenges in providing basic services to its population, exacerbated by international funding cuts. The country is grappling with one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, worsened by decades of conflict and economic decline since the Taliban takeover.
