Christmas tragedy: 43 die in passenger bus crash
The bus collided head-on with a truck along a major highway before plunging into a ravine.
Officials say at least 24 people, including women and children, were killed while 17 others were injured.
The tragedy happened in Samangan province, northern Afghanistan, on Friday.
The defence ministry in Kabul gave a much higher death toll of 43.
“The crash happened when the bus carrying more than 50 passengers was travelling from Kabul to Mazar-i-Sharif,” said Sarajuddin Fitrat, the governor of Hazrat Sultan district where the accident occurred.
“Twenty four people were killed and 17 others were injured.”
The corpses have been deposited at a local morgue while the injured are being treated in hospitals.
Afghanistan has some of the world’s most dangerous roads and deadly accidents are common, reports say.
The country has experienced deadly bus crashes in recent time.
The World Bank in November signed off a $250 million grant to upgrade roads crossing Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush mountains, crucial trade links that are often closed in winter by snow..
