36 killed in Afghanistan bus-fuel tanker collision

At least 36 persons were killed and 28 wounded when a bus collided with a fuel tanker in Afghanistan's southern province of Zabul on Sunday, an official said.

"The accident took place on the Kabul-Kandahar highway in Jaldak area. Both the vehicles caught fire after the crash," Xinhua news agency quoted a police official as saying.

According to security officials, the accident took place when the fuel tanker collided with the passenger bus, Tolo news reported.

The wounded, suffering from severe burns and fractures, were transferred to various hospitals in Kandahar province, the police official said.

The deaths in the collision are likely to rise as many of the injured were in critical condition, he said.

According to the official, the overloaded bus travelling from Kandahar to Kabul carried around 60 people.

Reckless driving might have caused the accident, some of the officials said, adding that an investigation was underway.

More than 3,000 people die every year in road accidents in Afghanistan due to inexperienced drivers as well as poor condition of the roads and vehicles.

--IANS

py/vt