A devastating traffic accident in western Afghanistan has claimed 79 lives, including 17 children. Most of the victims were on a bus transporting Afghan migrants deported from Iran.

This information was confirmed to the BBC by a spokesman for the country's Ministry of Interior.

The bus, heading to Kabul, caught fire on Tuesday night after colliding with a truck and a motorcycle in Herat province. All bus passengers perished, as did two individuals from the other vehicles. Police in Herat believe the crash was caused by "excessive speed and negligence" on the part of the bus driver. Since the 1970s, millions of Afghans have fled to Iran and Pakistan, particularly during the Soviet invasion in 1979 and after the Taliban's return to power in 2021. This situation has fueled anti-Afghan sentiments in Iran. In recent months, Iran has intensified the deportation of illegal Afghan migrants fleeing conflict. According to the UN Refugee Agency, more than 1.5 million Afghans have left Iran since January, some of whom had lived there for several generations. Previously, Iran set a deadline in July for the voluntary departure of illegal Afghans.