At least 50 people were killed in accidents on the same highway in Ghazni province between Kabul and southern Kandahar.

Two bus crashes in central Afghanistan have killed at least 50 people and injured dozens more, according to officials.

The accidents happened late Wednesday on the same highway in Ghazni province between the capital, Kabul, and the south of Kandahar city, Hamidullah Nisar, provincial head of information and culture, told X on Thursday.

In the first, a passenger bus collided with a fuel tanker near the village of Shahbaz in central Ghazni. In the other accident, a bus hit a truck in the eastern district of Andar, Nisar said.

Hafiz Omar, a spokesman for the governor of Ghazni province, said 50 people were killed in the accidents.

Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid put the death toll at 52 and said 65 people were injured. Other officials said up to 76 people were injured.

"We have learned with great regret that two fatal traffic accidents have occurred on the Kabul-Kandahar highway," Mujahid said in a statement.

"These incidents have deeply disturbed and saddened us... We call on the relevant authorities to conduct an immediate investigation into both incidents, identify the causes and take the necessary steps to prevent such tragedies in the future occur," he added.

Message of condolences from the Islamic Emirate regarding the casualties in two traffic accidents on the Kabul-Kandahar highway https://t.co/9b75dwOrKlhttps://t.co/lH9wVsyx59 pic.twitter.com/8D86WNS3OE

— Zabihullah (@Zabehulah_M33) December 19, 2024

Omar said: "The injured have been taken to hospitals in Ghazni and authorities are handing over the bodies to families."

Patients in a more serious condition were transferred to Kabul, he added; women and children are among the victims.

Traffic accidents are common in Afghanistan, partly due to poor roads after decades of conflict, dangerous driving on highways and a lack of regulation.

In March, more than 20 people were killed and 38 injured when a bus collided with a fuel tanker and burst into flames in southern Helmand province.

Another serious accident involving a fuel tanker occurred in December 2022 when the vehicle overturned and caught fire in Afghanistan's high-altitude Salang Pass, killing 31 people and leaving dozens more with burns.