Road accident kills three, injures 18 in Eastern Afghanistan

Kabul, Oct 30 (IANS) At least three people were killed, and 18 others injured in a collision involving a tractor and two passenger vehicles in eastern Afghanistan's Laghman province, the provincial police office reported in a statement on Thursday.

The accident occurred on Wednesday evening in the Surkhakan region along the highway linking the capital Kabul to eastern Nangarhar province, killing three commuters, including a woman and a child on the spot, and injuring 18 others, several critically, according to the statement, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Reckless driving was cited as the primary cause of the crash.

Over the past week, at least 11 people have lost their lives and nearly 40 others were injured in five separate road incidents across the eastern provinces of Laghman, Khost, and Ghazni, as well as northern Badakhshan and Balkh.

Road mishaps remain a leading cause of accidental fatalities in war-torn Afghanistan, driven by reckless driving, congested roads, and a lack of traffic signs on dilapidated highways.

On September 26, provincial police said that a commuter lost his life and 11 others sustained injuries in a head-on road collision in northern Afghanistan's Jawzjan province.

The collision took place between two passenger cars in the Qarabuyen Olya region, along the highway connecting Jawzjan to neighbouring Balkh province, leaving one dead on the spot and 11 others injured, said a police statement.

Blaming reckless driving for the accident, the statement noted that the injured were promptly transported to a nearby health center for treatment, where most remain in critical condition.

On September 25, one traveller was killed and three others injured when their car overturned in eastern Afghanistan's Laghman province, the provincial police office said in a statement.

Blaming reckless driving for the deadly mishap, the statement noted that the accident occurred in the Kakakh region, along the highway linking the capital Kabul to eastern Nangarhar province, resulting in the immediate death of one passenger and injuries to three others.

--IANS

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