TEHRAN, Nov. 16 (MNA) – Eight commuters, including women and children, were killed after a passenger vehicle fell into the Kokcha River in northern Afghanistan's Badakhshan province, a local official said on Saturday.

The mishap happened late on Friday when the vehicle was heading toward Faizabad city, the capital of the province, Zabihullah Amiri, provincial director of information and culture, told Xinhua.

Amiri noted that locals and rescuers rushed to the site and were searching to take out the bodies, Xinhua news agency reported.

Among the dead, one is the driver and the others are close relatives, including three women and four children, he added.

Thousands of people lose their lives in road accidents in Afghanistan each year due to poor infrastructure, reckless driving, overloading, overtaking, and overspeeding.

MA/PR