A passenger bus and an oil tanker collided head‑on on the Salang Highway in Afghanistan’s Baghlan province early on Friday, October 30, killing five commuters and injuring approximately twenty others. Xinhua reported that the crash, which took place on the northbound route of the highway, was caused by driver negligence and that the injured were taken to nearby health centres for treatment.
Xinhua said that the investigation into the accident was underway and that no additional details had been released. The outlet also noted that the incident occurred on the Salang Highway, a key north‑south artery that runs through the northern part of the country.
Pajhwok Afghan News covered the same incident, stating that a 580‑seat passenger bus collided with a tanker at the northern Salang crossing. The article confirmed that the collision resulted in at least five fatalities and about twenty other injuries, some of which were critical.
Pajhwok’s report emphasized the size of the bus, describing it as a 580‑passenger vehicle, and described the tanker as an oil tanker engaged in transport along the same highway. While the outlet did not specify the cause of the crash, it echoed Xinhua’s mention of driver error as a possible factor, and noted that authorities were responding to the incident.
The Salang Highway is a major route connecting Kabul with Jalalabad and other eastern provinces, and it has previously been the site of serious traffic accidents. Both Xinhua and Pajhwok highlighted the importance of safe driving practices on the highway, especially given its heavy commercial and passenger traffic.
According to Xinhua, all injured passengers were transported to nearby health centres, though the outlet did not list which facilities were used. The article also mentioned that the incident took place on Friday morning, indicating that the accident occurred during a time of high travel activity on the route.
Pajhwok’s coverage did not include any direct statements from local authorities or emergency responders. However, the outlet did note that the investigation was being handled by provincial officials, mirroring Xinhua’s mention of an ongoing inquiry.
Neither Xinhua nor Pajhwok provided additional casualty figures beyond the initial death toll of five and the injury estimate of around twenty. There were no reports of additional casualties or fatalities in subsequent days according to the sources available.
The only direct claim regarding the cause of the collision came from Xinhua, which identified driver negligence as the reason. Pajhwok did not provide an attribution for the cause, but their reporting is consistent with Xinhua’s description of a head‑on collision involving a large passenger bus and an oil tanker on a busy Afghan highway.
As the investigation proceeds, the regional authorities in Baghlan are expected to release further details about the factors that led to the crash, the responsibilities of the parties involved, and any changes planned for traffic safety along the Salang Highway.
