No fewer than 76 people, including children, have died following a traffic accident involving deported Afghan refugees in Afghanistan’s western province of Herat, local officials reported on Wednesday.

The report said that three other people were severely injured.

The crash occurred when a passenger bus collided with a motorbike and a Mazda truck before catching fire, said Mohammad Yousuf Saidi, a spokesperson for the provincial governor.

The passenger bus was returning from the Islam Qala border crossing, a common entry point for deportees from Iran.

Head of Herat’s information and culture department, Ahmadullah Muttaqi, said that the victims had been deported from Iran and that 17 children were among the victims.

Iranian officials recently stated that 1.2 million Afghan refugees have been deported in the past six months and that another 800,000 people will have to leave the country by March of next year.

Every year, conflict, poverty, and high unemployment drive large numbers of Afghans to cross the 300-kilometre border into Iran illegally.

Many of them find low-wage jobs in big cities, including on construction sites, where they are valued as cheap and reliable labour.

In the wake of the tragedy, Afghan authorities urged all drivers to exercise caution and adhere to traffic rules to prevent similar incidents.

Local officials said that this was one of the deadliest traffic accidents in recent years.

Traffic accidents are common in Afghanistan, with thousands of people dying each year due to poor road conditions, limited vehicle maintenance, and reckless driving. 

(dpa/NAN)