A tragic bus crash in Afghanistan has claimed the lives of at least 75 people, including 17 children, who were returning from Iran, a local official reported.
The accident took place in Herat province on Tuesday, Aug. 19, when a bus traveling to Kabul collided with a motorbike and a car, Afghan government authority Ahmadullah Muttaqi told NBC News.
It remains unclear who caused the crash, but all passengers on the bus died, along with two others involved in the collision.
“The car was carrying fuel and it caught fire after a head-on collision with the bus, fully loaded with passengers,” Muttaqi explained to the outlet. “The bus also caught fire, and most of the people on board died from burn injuries.”
On Wednesday, Aug. 20, the Taliban announced the arrest of the transportation company leader responsible for the bus, according to CBS News.
Iranian authorities have recently deported nearly 1.8 million Afghan citizens, accusing them of overstaying, the Associated Press reports. Pakistan and Turkey have implemented similar measures.
“These Afghan refugees were returning home after spending a long time in Iran, but they could not reach their destination due to this tragic accident,” Muttaqi told NBC News.
Both Iran and Pakistan began cracking down in October 2023 on individuals they considered to be living in the countries illegally. NBC News reported that many deported Afghans had been residing abroad for decades.
Since early 2025, over two million people have returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan, U.N. human rights officials said, according to NBC News. While both countries deny targeting Afghans, experts suggest many were compelled to return due to intimidation, harassment, or coercion.
