Kabul, Aug 22: At least 12 people were killed and four others injured when a tractor carrying villagers slid into a river in Helmand province on Friday, officials said. According to Hafiz Abdul Bari Rashid, Provincial Director for Information and Culture, the accident occurred in Garmsir district and claimed the lives of three women and nine children. Four children were also injured. Security personnel rushed to the spot and rescued 14 others trapped in the incident.
In rural Afghanistan, tractors and animals are often used as a mode of transport for people and goods, despite the associated risks.
Meanwhile, in a separate accident in northern Baghlan province on Thursday night, at least 24 passengers were injured when a bus collided with a truck on the Kabul–Mazar-i-Sharif highway. Provincial police spokesman Mawlawi Shir Ahmad Burhani said some of the injured are in critical condition and have been shifted to a hospital in Pul-e-Khumri city.
This comes just days after one of the deadliest road accidents in western Afghanistan’s Herat province earlier this week. On Tuesday night, a passenger bus collided with a motorbike and a mini-truck on a road connecting Iran to Herat city, killing at least 64 commuters and injuring three others. The head of the provincial rescue department, Abdul Zahir Noorzai, confirmed that many victims were Afghan refugees returning from Iran.
Another official stated that the bus caught fire after the collision, leaving several bodies charred beyond recognition.
The spate of accidents highlights the dangers of Afghanistan’s poorly maintained roads, lack of safety measures, and the reliance on unsafe modes of transport in rural areas, which continue to claim dozens of lives every week.
