Passenger Bus Overturns in Kunduz, Leaving 26 Injured

A 508-type passenger bus overturned in Aliabad district of Afghanistan’s Kunduz province, leaving 26 people injured. According to the Taliban-controlled police command in Kunduz, women and children were among those hurt.

Jamaaluddin Khaksar, spokesman for the Taliban police command in Kunduz, said the injured were taken to hospital for treatment. He described their condition as satisfactory.

According to the Taliban official, the crash was caused by the driver’s carelessness. However, traffic accidents in Afghanistan have repeatedly drawn criticism over weak enforcement of traffic laws and poor road conditions.

Experts have cited drivers’ carelessness, damaged roads, failure to observe traffic rules, the Taliban administration’s excessive issuance of driving licences, and the granting of route permits to vehicles that violate orders as factors behind the recurrence of such incidents. Aliabad district is located along Kunduz’s important highway, a route heavily used by passenger vehicles.