Bus Crash Kills More Than 70 Afghans Deported From Iran, Including 17 Children

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — At slightest 75 people, including 17 children, person been killed successful Afghanistan successful a postulation mishap involving a autobus carrying migrants who were deported from Iran, officials said Wednesday.

The autobus was walking to nan Afghan superior of Kabul from neighboring Iran precocious Tuesday erstwhile it collided pinch a motorbike and different conveyance successful nan occidental state of Herat adjacent nan Iranian border, according to elder Afghan authorities charismatic Ahmadullah Muttaqi.

“The car was carrying substance and it caught occurrence aft a head-on collision pinch nan bus, afloat loaded pinch passengers,” he said. “The autobus besides caught occurrence and nan mostly of group connected nan autobus died of pain injuries.”

All 73 Afghan migrants connected nan bus, 17 of them children, were killed on pinch 2 group from nan different vehicles. Two others were injured, Muttaqi said.

The migrants are among hundreds of thousands of Afghans who person returned successful caller months from Iran and Pakistan, some of which announced a crackdown successful October 2023 connected group they said were surviving location illegally.

There are fears that Afghanistan could beryllium further destabilized by nan wide expulsions, which person been criticized by world authorities groups arsenic good arsenic Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban arsenic a usurpation of world norms and humanitarian principles. Many of those returning person lived extracurricular Afghanistan for decades and are capable to bring only what they tin carry.

“These Afghan refugees were returning location aft spending a agelong clip successful Iran, but they could not scope their destination arsenic their autobus met pinch a tragic accident,” Muttaqi said.

Traffic accidents are communal successful Afghanistan, wherever decades of warfare person near roads successful disrepair and postulation laws are poorly enforced.

Since nan 1970s, millions of group person fled Afghanistan for Iran and Pakistan, particularly during nan Soviet penetration successful 1979 and nan Taliban’s return to powerfulness successful 2021. Afghan migrants successful some countries opportunity they person faced systemic favoritism and moreover violence.

U.N. quality authorities officials said past week that complete 2.2 cardinal group had returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan since nan commencement of nan year, including much than 1.8 cardinal from Iran and almost 400,000 from Pakistan. Authorities successful some countries contradict they are targeting Afghans specifically.

Experts opportunity galore of nan Afghan migrants were either forcibly deported aliases compelled to return successful nan look of threats, harassment and intimidation.

Iran had told undocumented Afghans to time off nan state by July 6, but departures accelerated amid a 12-day conflict successful June betwixt Iran and Israel, during which immoderate Iranians accused Afghan migrants of espionage. The deadline has since been extended to Sept. 6.

The U.N. says nan surge successful nan number of group returning to Afghanistan has created a “multi-layered quality authorities crisis” and that immoderate person been tortured and threatened by nan Taliban because of their personality aliases individual history. It says women and girls look an moreover higher consequence of persecution successful Afghanistan, wherever they are denied entree to education past nan sixth grade.

Taliban officials opportunity group returning to Afghanistan are not being mistreated and that they person cash, food, wellness attraction and different support upon their arrival.

Afghanistan is already struggling to supply basal services to its organization of much than 40 million, much than half of which relies connected humanitarian assistance moreover arsenic U.S. and different world backing is cut.

Thousands of Afghans successful nan United States are besides facing deportation aft a national appeals tribunal past period allowed nan Trump management to region protections enabling them to unrecorded and activity successful nan U.S. temporarily.

Trump management officials said Afghans successful nan U.S. nary longer needed protected position because nan business successful their location state is getting better.

Mushtaq Yusufzai reported from Peshawar, and Jennifer Jett reported from Hong Kong.