26 Dead, 27 Injured After Bus Overturns and Plunges Down Embankment

At least 26 people have been killed and 27 others injured after a bus overturned in Afghanistan, according to reports.

The crash occurred at around 3:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Aug. 27, in the Arghandi area of Kabul as a passenger bus was coming from southern Afghanistan, according to multiple outlets, including the Associated Press, citing Taliban officials.

The bus reportedly steered off the road and rolled down an embankment. The passengers were from Helmand and Kandahar, and among the 27 injured were several in critical condition, according to ABC News.

Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani attributed the accident to reckless driving, the Turkish news agency Ilkha and ABC News reported. “This tragic incident underscores the dangers on our roads, particularly during early morning hours,” Qani said, per the news agency.

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Emergency services responded quickly to the scene, where they retrieved bodies from the wreckage and transported the injured to local hospitals, Ilkha reported, citing Taliban officials.

The cause of the crash is still being investigated, according to reports.

The incident comes a week after 79 people were killed in a bus crash in the Afghanistan city of Herat, per AP.

On Aug. 19, a bus was returning from Iran when it collided with a truck and a motorbike and caught fire, killing several passengers, including 19 children, the outlet reported at the time, citing local officials.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Interior Ministry for comment but did not immediately hear back.