45 killed in Afghan bus, tanker crash
A passenger bus in Afghanistan yesterday collided with a wrecked fuel tanker left on a road after a Taliban insurgent attack, killing at least 45 people, officials said.
The accident occurred before dawn in the Maiwand district of Kandahar province when the packed bus ploughed into the tanker, which had been burnt out in a Taliban strike several days ago.
Many of those hurt were travelling to join the short "neishtar" harvest season, when villagers from across southern Afghanistan work in poppy fields during one of the most lucrative times of the year for casual labourers.
Afghanistan has some of the most dangerous roads in the world and traffic accidents are common.
In September, 51 passengers including women and children, were killed after their bus also collided with a fuel tanker in Ghazni province.
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