Six Afghan migrants were killed and four others injured after a car carrying 10 people crashed into a tractor-trailer in southwestern Iran while they were attempting to enter the country through an irregular route, Iranian police said, highlighting the continuing dangers faced by Afghans using informal migration networks.
The crash occurred in the early hours of Sunday, September 13, on the Yasuj–Isfahan highway in Dena County, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, according to Iran’s traffic police. Authorities said a Peugeot 405 carrying nine Afghan passengers and one Iranian driver collided head-on with a tractor-trailer after the driver attempted to overtake another vehicle.
Iranian state media reported that four Afghan migrants died at the scene, while emergency responders rushed five injured passengers to nearby hospitals. Two more Afghan nationals died on the way to hospital, bringing the death toll to six.
Police said the Iranian driver entered the opposite lane while overtaking, causing the fatal collision. Authorities have opened an investigation into the incident.
The vehicle involved was described as a “shuti” car, a term used in Iran for high-speed passenger vehicles frequently employed by smuggling networks to transport undocumented migrants, particularly Afghan nationals, across long distances. These vehicles often travel at excessive speeds to avoid law enforcement, making them a recurring cause of deadly road accidents.
Thousands of Afghans continue to enter Iran through irregular routes each year, driven by conflict, economic hardship and limited opportunities in Afghanistan. Rights organizations have repeatedly warned that undocumented migrants are especially vulnerable to human trafficking, dangerous transportation methods and exploitation during cross-border journeys.
The latest crash comes as Iran has intensified border enforcement and deportation operations targeting undocumented Afghan migrants, prompting many to rely on informal transportation networks despite the significant risks involved.
Road safety officials say accidents involving shuti vehicles remain a serious public safety concern in Iran. According to Iranian traffic police, 358 people were killed and 513 injured in crashes involving these vehicles during the Iranian year 1404, underscoring the deadly consequences of irregular migration routes and high-speed smuggling operations.
