Historical event date: May 30, 2026.
At least 22 people died when a truck transporting Afghan returnees from Pakistan left an eastern Afghanistan highway and rolled over on May 30. Officials reported about 36 injuries, with women and children forming most of the casualties.
The crash happened in Laghman province on the principal road connecting Kabul with Nangarhar. Abdul Malik Niazai, spokesperson for the provincial governor, said 10 children and five women were among those killed. Injured passengers were transported to hospitals in Nangarhar.
Aminullah Sharif, the provincial public-health director, confirmed the toll of 22 deaths and approximately 36 injuries. He attributed the vehicle’s entry into a ditch to the driver going to sleep. The supplied account did not include a statement from the driver, information about custody or a final police finding.
The passengers belonged to a much larger movement of Afghans leaving Pakistan. Pakistan began a migrant crackdown in 2023 and has since deported people or placed pressure on them to depart. Iran stepped up expulsions at about the same time.
Millions have returned to Afghanistan from those two neighboring states. Some returnees had known only Pakistan as their birthplace and had built lives there over several decades. That context explains why families were traveling together, but the evidence did not say where the truck’s passengers planned to settle.
The use of a truck for the journey and the reported sleep-related departure from the roadway were the immediate circumstances disclosed. Officials did not give the total number aboard, describe seat or cargo arrangements, or report the vehicle’s mechanical condition. It was also unclear how long the driver had been traveling.
A separate road emergency occurred in Nuristan on the preceding night. A car left a road and entered a river, injuring its driver and leaving four passengers missing. Search crews were looking for them on Saturday. That event was unrelated to the Laghman crash and its casualties should not be combined with the truck toll.
Afghanistan experiences frequent serious road incidents amid poorly maintained routes and widespread disregard for traffic rules. Those general conditions provide background, although officials specifically cited a sleeping driver in this case. At the historical reporting point, the supported count remained at least 22 dead and about 36 hurt. The evidence established the victims as people returning from Pakistan and identified the highway and province, while questions about passenger load, journey management and possible legal consequences remained open.
The qualifiers attached to both totals signal that they were preliminary. Officials did not say whether later hospital deaths or revised passenger records might alter either count.
