Afghanistan

Traffic accident in Baghlan injures 19

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PUL-E-KHUMRI, Baghlan – Nineteen people were injured when a passenger bus veered off the road in the northern province of Baghlan, Taliban officials said on Friday.

The incident took place in the Pul-e-Malkhan area of Khenjan district, according to Taliban officials quoted in a report by Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency.

Among the injured were 12 men, four women, and three children, all of whom were transported to a hospital for treatment.

Traffic accidents in northern Afghanistan often increase during the winter months due to heavy snowfall and poor road conditions.

Residents have long complained about the lack of proper infrastructure, which they say contributes to frequent and deadly crashes.

In the solar year 1401 (March 2022 – March 2023), Afghanistan recorded 2,662 traffic accidents. This number surged to 5,520 accidents in the following year, reflecting a 78.5% increase.

Taliban-run traffic department reported last month that more than 3,000 accidents have occurred across the country within the first ten months of the current solar year (starting March 2024). So far 770 fatalities and 2,008 injuries have been reported from these accidents.