Family Goes Missing in Helmand Sand Dunes, Highlighting Dangers of Southern Routes
The disappearance of a family in the Bahramcha sand dunes of Helmand, and uncertainty over the fate of the driver who was travelling with them, has once again highlighted the dangers of travelling along difficult routes without standard roads in southern Afghanistan.
Hafiz Rashidi, head of information and culture for the Taliban administration in Helmand, said two children, a woman and a man were found by Taliban air forces after being missing for a day on the route between the districts of Dishu and Garmsir.
According to him, the family had gone missing in that area yesterday and a search operation began at that time. Rashidi also said the driver of the vehicle carrying the family had separated from the group before they were found, and efforts to locate him are continuing.
Taliban officials have so far given no further explanation about the cause of the family’s disappearance, the exact length of time they were lost in the dunes, or the exact number of missing people. It is also unclear whether anyone other than the driver remains missing.
The plains and sand dunes of southern and western Afghanistan, particularly in parts of Helmand and Nimroz provinces, are considered vast, sparsely populated areas without clear routes. The lack of standard roads, extreme heat and difficult access have made these routes among the most dangerous for travel.
Similar deadly incidents have also been reported in these areas in recent years. In mid-June this year, the bodies of 19 Afghan citizens who had gone missing in the plains of Nimroz while travelling illegally to Iran were found in the Gerd Laloi area of Chahar Burjak district. Local sources said at the time that they had died from extreme heat and thirst.
