At least 21 people were killed and 38 others were injured in a road accident that took place on the Herat-Kandahar highway in Afghanistan's Helmand on Sunday morning, reported TOLOnews. Of the injured people, condition of 11 was reported critical.

The Information and Culture Directorate of Helmand Province stated that the incident occurred in the on Sunday early morning in the Helmand province's Grishk district's Yakhchal neighbourhood.

According to local officials, the accident happened as a result of a bus hitting a motorbike and then crashing into an oil-filled tanker. As a result, both vehicles caught fire, TOLOnews reported.

The tragic incident led to the death of 16 passengers on the bus, 2 on the motorbike, and 3 in the tanker. The injured were immediately transported to hospitals in Grishk district and the provincial capital of Helmand, Lashkargah City, according to TOLOnews.

Traffic-related accidents in Afghanistan have witnessed a rise in various provinces of the country, mainly on highways resulting in numerous deaths and injuries. Factors like dilapidated roads, negligence, and excessive speeding have been identified as reasons behind traffic incidents in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the country was also hit with an earthquake of magnitude 4.5 on the Richter scale struck Afghanistan on Sunday, the National Centre for Seismology said.

The earthquake took place at 19:59:23 IST at a depth of 169 km. In a post on X, the NCS wrote, " Earthquake of Magnitude:4.5, Occurred on 17-03-2024, 19:59:23 IST, Lat: 36.66 & Long: 71.43, Depth: 169 Km ,Region: Afghanistan."