UNAMA and UNICEF Express Sympathy Following Herat Traffic Tragedy

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Following the deadly traffic incident on Herat’s ring road that claimed the lives of dozens of Afghan migrants, international organizations including UNICEF and UNAMA have expressed sympathy with the victims' families and called for the return of Afghan migrants to be ensured in a “safe, dignified, and voluntary” manner.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) stated on Thursday, August 21, in response to the incident that it is “shocked” by the deaths of children, women, and men who had returned from Iran, and expressed condolences to their families.

UNICEF also stated in a message on X that it is deeply saddened by the deaths of returnees, especially children, in the incident and is closely monitoring the situation.

Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF’s Regional Director for South Asia, also reacted to the incident, writing, “A few weeks ago at the Islam Qala border, I met children and families who were shaken, traumatized, yet hopeful.” He emphasized, “This is why UNICEF is calling for returns to be safe, dignified, voluntary, and phased.”

The incident occurred on Tuesday evening, August 19, when a 580-type passenger bus carrying deported migrants from Iran, traveling from Islam Qala to Kabul, collided first with a motorcycle and then with a fuel truck in the ring road area of Guzara district. The vehicle caught fire, killing at least 79 people, including 19 children.

The Taliban announced that the victims were members of 17 families and residents of the provinces of Kabul, Ghazni, Parwan, Kapisa, Baghlan, Kunduz, and Daikundi. Due to the severity of the burns, the victims' bodies could not be identified and were transferred to the 400-bed hospital in Kabul.