KABUL, Feb 22, (Xinhua): At least nine people were killed and 35 others injured when a passenger bus overturned due to reckless driving in western Afghanistan's Badghis province on Sunday, local police said. The mishap took place in Sabzak region along the highway connecting Qala-e-Naw, the provincial capital, to Herat province in western Afghanistan, said Sadiqullah Sadeqi, spokesman for the Badghis provincial police.

According to the official, nine passengers, including women and children, lost their lives at the spot, while police and local residents shifted 35 injured individuals to nearby health facilities for treatment.

Several of the injured were in critical condition, said Sadeqi, expressing concern that the number of fatalities may increase. Road accidents, frequently resulting from reckless driving on congested roads and a lack of adequate signage on dilapidated highways, remain a leading cause of death across the war-ravaged country.