On Friday, a groom was killed in a traffic accident while on the way to his wedding ceremony in Herat. As well, two women in the same vehicle were killed and another nine injured, a source at Herat Hospital tells Zan Times.
“This incident happened around 3:00 pm on Friday after a bride’s car was traveling from Injil district towards Herat city,” the source says. “As a result, two young women between 25 and 30 years old died along with the groom.”
Along with the three killed, nine others were injured, including a child, five women and the male driver of the car, who is in critical condition, explains the source.
A source in the Herat traffic directorate confirmed the accident to Zan Times, saying that the driver was speeding, and that caused the car veer off the road and overturn.
The Taliban police also confirmed this incident in a press release.
Though statistics are hard to obtain as many accidents aren’t reported, Afghanistan’s rate of fatal traffic accidents was rising even before the Taliban returned to power, when much of the country’s road maintenance ceased after government funding all but collapsed. According to the World Health Organization, there were 16 traffic deaths per 100,000 population in 2019. By comparison, Pakistan’s traffic fatality rate was 13 per 100,000 population.
Those who survive traffic accidents also have to contend with an increasingly fragile healthcare system. Often, the wounded die of blood loss or what should be treatable injuries because they cannot obtain medical treatment quickly enough. Since the Taliban returned to power, their incompetence combined with a notable lack of interest in the healthcare system means that hospitals and clinics are starved for funding and often unable to buy even the basics needed to sustain life. Lack of basic medical necessities as well as the flight of medical professionals out of the country means that the medical system is in crisis.
