AFGHANISTAN: At least 17 children among dead in bus crash carrying returnees from Iran

KABUL, 20 August 2025 - At least 17 children have reportedly been killed in Afghanistan, after a bus crashed in Herat province carrying people returning from Iran. 

Samira Sayed Rahman, Advocacy Director for Save the Children in Afghanistan, said:

“This horrific tragedy is a stark reminder of the deadly risks hundreds of thousands of Afghan children face on their journeys from Iran. Children and their families are getting on overcrowded buses from the border and taking long, arduous and perilous journeys in search of safety, stability and a place to call home.

“One child is returning to Afghanistan from Iran or Pakistan every 30 seconds, on average, according to an analysis by Save the Children. These staggering numbers – the equivalent of a classroom of children every 15 minutes – are putting unprecedented pressure on dwindling resources. Cuts in aid means there is simply not enough funding to meet the growing amount of people in need.”

Save the Children is calling on countries in the region to ensure that returns to Afghanistan are voluntary, safe, and dignified. Forcing or pressuring children to return, especially those without guardians, can heighten their risk of exploitation, abuse, and neglect.

The child rights organisation is also calling on the international community to urgently increase funding to meet both critical needs at the border upon arrival and provide longer-term assistance to help returnees settle in Afghanistan.

Since March, Save the Children in Afghanistan has supported more than 162,000 children who have returned to the country. In addition to the ongoing response at the Nangarhar and Kandahar borders for returnees, Save the Children has expanded its support to include a health and nutrition clinic, child protection services at the Islam Qala border in Herat, as well as health and nutrition services at the Kabul transit centre.