KABUL: At least 18 people, including 10 children, were killed and 29 others injured after a truck carrying Afghan families overturned in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, provincial officials said.

According to Abdul Malik Niazay, spokesperson for the governor of Laghman Province, the victims included 10 children, five women, and three men. The accident occurred on the highway connecting Jalalabad and Kabul.

The truck was transporting Afghan families returning from Pakistan, where they had been living. Pakistan has recently intensified measures against undocumented Afghan migrants, contributing to a rise in returnees.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration, more than 447,000 Afghans have returned from Pakistan since the beginning of the year.

Deadly road accidents remain common in Afghanistan due to poor infrastructure, unsafe driving practices, and limited enforcement of traffic regulations.