AT LEAST 21 people are dead and another 38 injured after a bus crashed into a tanker sparking a huge fireball in Afghanistan.
The driver of the tanker reportedly lost control of the vehicle before it collided with the oncoming tanker and erupted into flames.
A motorcycle is also reported to have been involved in the crash, which took place on the Kandahar-Herat highway, in the Gereshk district of Helmand.
The bus had been travelling from Herat city to the capital Kabul, when the incident occurred at 4am local time on Sunday, the provincial government said.
Mohammad Qasim Riaz, spokesperson for the governor of Helmand, confirmed the incident is under investigation by the province traffic police.
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He added that the injured have been transferred to hospitals.
In a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter), the provincial information department said: "On Sunday morning, 21 people were killed and 38 people were injured due to a collision between a tanker, a motorcycle and a passenger bus."
According to sources, the passenger bus caught fire after the collision, resulting in the burning of most of the victims’ bodies.
Among the injured, 11 were seriously wounded and 27 had minor injuries.
Photos in local media show the tanker on fire on the dusty road and the wreckage of vehicles from the accident.
Images from the aftermath then reveal the remains of the vehicles scattered across the highway, as well as the tanker's crushed cabin.
Cleanup crews were present on site removing the debris, according to officials.
Traffic accidents are common in Afghanistan, mainly due to poor infrastructure exacerbated by decades of war and driver carelessness.
The country’s low-lying roads and lack of traffic signs also pose major problems.
Road traffic accidents reach into the hundreds, yearly, and result in high fatalities.
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In December 2022, an oil tanker overturned and caught fire in the Salang Tunnel, killing at least 63 people, including children, and injuring dozens.
Horror images showed the burnt out remains of vehicles in the high-altitude tunnel that represents the major north-south connection in the country, with smoke billowing out of the entrance.
