At least fifty people were killed and seventy-three others injured in two separate road accidents on the Kabul-Kandahar Highway in Afghanistan.
According to Hameedullah Nisar, head of Ghazni’s Information and Culture Department, the accidents involved a passenger bus and a car colliding with a gas tanker and a trailer just 15 kilometers apart. The incidents occurred around 11 p.m. in the central Ghazni region, near Shahbaz and Nani Bazaar in Andar district.
Women and children were among the victims, with nine women identified among the dead so far. Several of the injured are in critical condition, and the death toll is feared to rise.
The Kabul-Kandahar Highway, one of Afghanistan’s busiest routes, is notorious for accidents due to its poor infrastructure, lack of safety measures, and disregard for traffic laws. Connecting Kabul to key regions and serving as a critical trade route with neighboring countries such as Iran, Turkmenistan, and Pakistan, the highway is vital but perilous.
For over four decades, Afghanistan’s war-torn roads and weak enforcement of traffic laws have contributed to a high rate of fatal accidents. This latest incident underscores the urgent need for improved road safety and infrastructure in the country.