Separate traffic accidents in Afghanistan leave 20 dead

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Separate traffic accidents in eastern Afghanistan left at least 20 people dead and 18 others injured, a provincial official said Saturday.

Both accidents took place in Laghman province on the main highway linking the Afghan capital of Kabul and eastern Nangarhar province, said Asadullah Dawlatzai, spokesman for the Laghman provincial governor.

Dawlatzai said 12 people were killed and eight others injured Saturday morning when two vehicles collided in the district of Qarghayi.

He said late Friday night in the same area another eight people were killed and 10 others injured when a minibus collided with a car on the same highway.

Children were among those killed and injured, Dawlatzai said, but did not say how many. He said the injured were transferred to hospitals in Laghman and Nangarhar provinces for treatment.

Traffic accidents are common in Afghanistan, mainly due to poor road conditions and driver carelessness on highways.