A highway crash in southern Afghanistan kills 21 people and injures 38

ISLAMABAD — A highway crash in southern Afghanistan left at least 21 people dead and 38 others injured, according to a provincial traffic department.

The crash occurred on Sunday morning in Gerashk district of Helmand province on the main highway between southern Kandahar and western Herat provinces, the Helmand traffic office said.

A motorbike crashed into a passenger bus, which then hit a fuel tanker on the opposite side of the road, said Qadratullah, a traffic official in Helmand. An investigation into the accident was underway, he added.

Eleven of the 38 injured people were transferred to hospitals with serious injuries, said Hzatullah Haqqani, a spokesman for the Helmand police chief.

Traffic accidents are common in Afghanistan, mainly due to poor road conditions and driver carelessness.