The crash occurred when a bus carrying migrant workers returning from Iran collided with a truck and a motorbike.

Most of the victims were passengers on the bus, two people in the truck and two on the motorbike were also killed.

According to local police, speeding was the direct cause of the accident. Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi, a senior provincial official, said the bus was en route from the Islam Qala border gate – the main crossing from Iran – to the capital Kabul.

Afghanistan regularly sees serious traffic accidents because of deteriorating infrastructure after decades of war, reckless driving on national highways, and insufficient safety regulations.