President shocked by players’ deaths in road crash

KABUL): President Hamid Karzai on Friday voiced deep shock over the death of eight footballers during a road crash in northern Jawzjan province.

At least 36 others were wounded in the overnight head-on collision in the Chaghcha area on the on Shiberghan-Mazar-i-Sharif highway.

Both drivers were among the fatalities. The Jawzjan players were travelling to Kabul for supporting their team that is taking part in a football tournament in the capital.

 “The president was deeply saddened to learn of the collision and extended his condolences to the victims’ families,” a statement from the Presidential Palace said.

He directed public health officials to ensure the best possible treat of the injured, who he wished speedy recovery.

The president also denounced as an inhuman act a roadside bombing that killed 16 civilians and wounded as many others in northern Balkh province.

The incident took place at around 9am when a civilian van struck the bomb in the Sadarabad area of Daulatabad district. Most of the victims were children and women, who were on their way to a wedding party in the district.

A separate statement from his office quoted Karzai as saying that the incident turned the happy occasion joy into a tragedy. He added the perpetrators would be punished severely in the Hereafter by Allah.

pr/mud

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