Afghanistan’s Salang Alpine Tunnel Accident Kills At Least 12

(CTN NEWS) – Authorities said that at least 12 people were killed and dozens more were hurt in an accident in the historic Salang alpine tunnel, which connects the capital of Afghanistan to the country’s north.

According to Qari Yusuf Ahmadi, deputy spokesperson for the Taliban-run government, 37 people were hurt in the accident near the Salang Tunnel, located around 90 kilometers north of Kabul.

Ahmadi added, “The Islamic Emirate extends its sincere condolences to the victims’ relatives and… it urges on all relevant agencies to make more serious measures to prevent the recurrence of such horrible occurrences.”

Express sorrow & grief over the loss of precious lives and prayers for early recovery for those injured in Salang tunnel fire in Afghanistan. Hope for early restoration work as Salang is the vital artery for movement of people & goods inside Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/SFvkMSHi2F

— Mansoor Ahmad Khan (@ambmansoorkhan) December 18, 2022

According to the Ministry of Public Works and local broadcasterTolo, a fuel truck flipped over and caught fire in the tunnel on Saturday night.

According to the Ministry spokesperson, the fire was put out on Sunday, but the tunnel remained blocked to traffic, and the number of casualties could increase.

Videos from last night's fire in the Salang tunnel.
Local officials say that at least 10 people were killed and over 20 more were injured in the fire.#TOLOnews pic.twitter.com/XhYnBmVjtE

— TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) December 18, 2022

The 2.6 km long Soviet tunnel, an engineering marvel, connects Kabul to the northern part of Afghanistan, bridging the dangerous mountain pass at 3,400 m that separates the Indian subcontinent from Central Asia.

The Defence Ministry announced on social media that medical personnel and first aid teams were dispatched to the location along with military helicopters.

According to Abdullah Afghan Mal, a top health official in the province of Parwan, many of the victims were women and children, and their bodies had suffered severe burns.

He told the AFP news agency that it was difficult to distinguish between male and female corpses.
During the winter, accidents, significant snowfall, and avalanches frequently force the route to be closed for days.

Avalanches killed more than 150 people on the Salang pass in 2010.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTufxOFzoeo

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