UPDATE - 19 children among 79 dead, mostly repatriated refugees, in Afghan bus crash

UPDATES DEATH TOLL, CHANGES HEADLINE

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - Death toll from the fatal passenger bus accident in western Afghanistan has risen to 79, including 19 children, an interim Taliban administration official said on Wednesday.

The bus carrying repatriated migrants from Iran collided with a truck and a motorcycle, Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesman for the interim Interior Ministry, told reporters in Kabul.

After the collision, the bus also caught fire.

The incident took place on the Herat-Islam Qala highway in the Herat province late Tuesday.

Ahmadullah Muttaqi, the province’s interim information and culture director, said that the bus started from Iran and proceeded from Herat’s Islam Qala border area on the way to Kabul, the capital.

Meanwhile, the Afghan Taliban expressed deep sorrow over the loss of numerous Afghan nationals in the tragic bus collision in Herat province.

In a statement, they said relevant transportation authorities have been directed to promptly gather accurate details of the incident and identify those responsible.