Overloaded truck crash in Laghman kills 22

A truck carrying Afghan families returning from Pakistan overturned in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing at least 22 people and injuring dozens more, according to local officials. The accident occurred near the Surkhakan intersection in the Qarghayi district of Laghman Province on the main highway linking Kabul with Jalalabad.

Provincial officials provided details on the casualties. Abdul Malik Niazai, a spokesperson for the Laghman governor, confirmed that among the dead were 10 children and five women. Mawlawi Aminullah Sharif, Nangarhar’s provincial public health director, later stated the death toll had risen to 22 after several victims succumbed to their injuries in hospital. He said approximately 36 people were wounded, with several in critical condition. The injured were transported to medical facilities in neighboring Nangarhar Province for treatment.

Preliminary investigations indicate the driver fell asleep at the wheel, causing the heavily overloaded vehicle to leave the road and plunge into a ditch. The passengers were among a growing number of Afghans returning from Pakistan. According to figures from the UN refugee agency and the International Organization...