Daijiworld Media Network - Kabul
Kabul, May 30: At least 18 people were killed and dozens injured after a truck carrying Afghan migrants overturned on a highway in eastern Afghanistan’s Laghman province early Saturday, according to local media reports and Taliban officials.
The accident occurred around 5:30 a.m. near the Surkhkanu intersection in Qarghayi district, along the busy Kabul–Jalalabad highway. The vehicle was reportedly transporting returning migrants from Pakistan when it lost control and overturned.
Officials said the victims included 10 children and five women, while 35 others sustained injuries and were taken to medical facilities in nearby Nangarhar province for treatment.
The incident was confirmed by Habibullah Mubarez, traffic director in Laghman province under the Taliban administration, who said authorities are still investigating the cause of the crash.
According to statements from the Taliban’s disaster management authorities, all passengers on board were Afghan migrants who had recently returned from Pakistan. The group had been temporarily housed in Kunar province and was en route to Kabul at the time of the accident.
A statement from the provincial governor’s office in Laghman confirmed the death toll and said rescue operations were carried out immediately after the crash.
The tragedy comes amid a surge in returns of Afghan migrants from neighbouring countries, particularly Pakistan, where deportation drives against undocumented migrants have intensified in recent months.
International agencies have warned that the large-scale movement of returnees is placing significant pressure on Afghanistan’s transport infrastructure and humanitarian services, especially in eastern provinces that serve as primary entry points.
The International Organization for Migration has reported that more than 3.5 million people have returned to Afghanistan between January 1 and May 9, including both deportees and voluntary returnees.
Aid agencies have also expressed concern that the rapid influx of returnees—many of them women and children—could further strain already fragile public services and deepen humanitarian challenges in the region.
Authorities continue to investigate the exact cause of the accident, while rescue and relief operations remain ongoing.