South Asia News

Bus accident in northern Afghanistan kills 35

Mar 17, 2010, 10:48 GMT

Kabul - At least 35 people were killed Wednesday when a bus on its way to a northern province collided head-on with a fuel truck, the Afghan Interior Ministry said.

The crash occurred at 9:30 am in the Charmaghzak area of the northern province of Baghlan when the bus driver lost control and hit the truck, the ministry statement said. 'Thirty-five passengers, including men, women and children were martyred (in the accident),' it said.

Police and rescue teams evacuated a number of injured people to a hospital in Pulikhomri, the provincial capital.

The crash triggered a fire that engulfed both the bus and the fuel truck.

The ministry's statement did not specify whether the drivers of the vehicles were among the casualties.

More than a dozen people were injured in the incident, many of them with severe burns, Mohammad Atta, a police officer in the region, said. A passenger vehicle and mini-truck were also involved in the incident.

'The bus driver seemed to have lost control, because he veered to the left and then to the right before hitting the truck,' Ahmad Jawad, a witness, said.

Narrow roads and poor traffic conditions cause frequent accidents on the main highway linking Kabul to the northern region during the month of March when a lot of people travel north for the Afghan new year festivities.

A major event is scheduled for March 21 in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, where thousands are set to visit a famous shrine to mark the first day of the Afghan solar calendar.