At least 21 dead, 38 injured after bus crashes into tanker, setting off fireball after driver loses control in Afghanistan

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AT LEAST 21 people are dead and another 38 injured after a bus crashed into a tanker, setting off a massive fireball in Afghanistan.

The driver of the tanker reportedly lost control of the vehicle before it collided with the oncoming tanker and burst into flames.

The wreckage of the tanker after the crashCredit: EPA

The remains of the charred bus are removed from the sceneCredit: EPA

Security personnel and volunteers stand near the wreckage of the burned-out passenger bus and oil tanker on the Herat-Kandahar highway in southern AfghanistanCredit: EPA

A motorcycle was also reportedly involved in the accident, which occurred on the Kandahar-Herat highway in Helmand’s Gereshk district, the provincial government said.

Mohammad Qasim Riaz, spokesman for Helmand’s governor, confirmed that the incident occurred at 4 a.m. local time on Sunday.

The spokesperson added that the incident is being investigated by the provincial traffic police and the injured have been taken to hospitals.

In a statement on

According to sources, the passenger bus caught fire after the collision, burning most of the victims’ bodies.

Among the injured, 11 were seriously injured and 27 had minor injuries.

Photos in local media show the tanker on fire on the dusty road and the wreckage of vehicles as a result of the accident.

Images of the aftermath then reveal the remains of the vehicles scattered across the highway, as well as the crushed cabin of the tanker.

Cleanup crews were on site to remove the debris, officials said.

Road accidents are common in Afghanistan, mainly due to poor infrastructure, exacerbated by decades of war and driver carelessness.

The low-lying roads and the lack of traffic signs also cause major problems.

Road accidents number in the hundreds every year and result in a large number of fatalities.

In December 2022, an oil tanker overturned and caught fire in the Salang Tunnel, killing at least 63 peopleincluding children, and dozens injured.

Horror footage showed the burnt-out remains of vehicles in the high-altitude tunnel that represents the country’s main north-south link, as smoke billowed from the entrance.