A bus transporting Afghan migrants recently returned from Iran crashed and ignited on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, in western Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of 79 individuals, including 19 children.
The incident occurred in Guzara district, Herat province, when the passenger bus collided with a motorcycle and a fuel truck.
Afghan government official Ahmadullah Muttaqi reported that the fuel truck caught fire after colliding with a bus that was fully loaded with passengers. The bus also burst into flames, and most passengers succumbed to burn injuries.
The bus was en route from Islam Qala, a border crossing between Afghanistan and Iran, to Kabul when the accident took place. Most casualties were on the bus, but individuals in the truck and motorcycle also perished.
Herat province police attributed the accident to excessive speed and negligent driving.
Witness Akbar Tawakoli informed reporters: “There was a lot of fire… There was a lot of screaming, but we couldn’t even get within 50 meters (approximately 55 yards) to rescue anyone.”
The victims were part of a significant wave of Afghan migrants returning from Iran. In 2025 to date, nearly 2.2 million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan, with more than 1.8 million coming from Iran
Iran initially set a July 6 deadline for undocumented Afghans to leave, later extending it to September 6. This led to a surge in border crossings, with some days seeing about 40,000 individuals entering Afghanistan.
Many Afghans returning had resided outside Afghanistan for decades, having fled during the Soviet invasion in 1979 and after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. They often worked in low-wage jobs in Iranian cities, such as construction.
Following a program initiated by Iran in March, deportations surged after its conflict with Israel, fueled by unfounded allegations that Afghans had engaged in espionage for Israel.
According to international agencies, hundreds of thousands of Afghans were deported from Iran in the weeks following the June ceasefire with Israel, marking one of the most significant instances of forced displacement this decade.
The death toll reached 79 after two survivors initially rescued from the wreckage succumbed to burn injuries at a military hospital in Herat. Mohammad Janan Moqadas, chief physician at the hospital, noted that many bodies were too severely burned for identification.
Traffic accidents are prevalent in Afghanistan due to poor road conditions from years of conflict, hazardous driving, and inadequate traffic regulation enforcement. The nation’s infrastructure has deteriorated since the Taliban regained control in 2021.
The crash underscores the perilous conditions facing Afghan returnees traversing Afghanistan’s declining roads. Many arrive without employment or housing, exacerbating a humanitarian crisis in a nation where nearly half of its 46 million residents rely on humanitarian aid.
In December 2023, two separate bus accidents involving tankers resulted in 52 fatalities. In March 2024, a collision in Helmand province resulted in 20 fatalities. In late 2022, a tanker overturned in the Salang Pass, causing a fire that killed 31 people.
The Taliban government expressed regret over the fatalities and initiated an investigation into the crash. Transportation authorities have been tasked with gathering details about the incident and identifying those responsible.
Afghanistan faces challenges in providing essential services to its population. Reductions in international funding have complicated efforts to support the large number of returnees. The nation endures one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, worsened by decades of conflict and economic collapse since the Taliban’s takeover.
