Overview

• The Interior Ministry raised the death toll to 79, with officials reporting that at least 19 children were among the dead after two injured survivors later died.
• Authorities said the Kabul-bound bus had picked up Afghan returnees at the Islam Qala border crossing after they were expelled from Iran.
• Police reported the bus struck a motorcycle before hitting a fuel truck, causing a fire that engulfed the vehicle; victims also included people in the other vehicles.
• Herat police cited excessive speed and driver negligence, while hospital officials said many bodies were burned beyond recognition, complicating identification.
• The Taliban government ordered an investigation as the crash highlights hazardous road conditions and heavy flows of returnees, with U.N. agencies noting more than 1.5 million Afghans have come back from Iran and Pakistan this year.