NIMROZ, Afghanistan – The bodies of 14 Afghan migrants who had gone missing while attempting to enter Iran through an irregular border crossing have been recovered in the desert of Afghanistan’s southwestern Nimroz province, local officials said.
The discovery comes three weeks after authorities initially recovered the bodies of five members of the same group, bringing the total death toll to 19.
Motawakel Tawhidi, spokesperson for the governor of Nimroz, said all of the victims were residents of Badghis province and had been traveling together in an attempt to reach Iran through a smuggling route.
According to Tawhidi, the group was traveling in a Toyota vehicle when it suffered a mechanical breakdown in a remote section of the desert. The driver and another member of the group left to obtain food and equipment needed to repair the vehicle. However, they became lost on their return and were unable to relocate the group.
The two men later reported the incident to Nimroz security authorities, prompting search operations across the desert.
Security forces recovered the bodies of five migrants shortly after the group was reported missing. Following weeks of continued search efforts, authorities located the remaining 14 bodies on July 30 in the Lalo dunes of the Dasht-e Margo desert in Nimroz province.
Officials said all 19 migrants died while attempting to reach Iran through the remote desert route.
Afghanistan continues to witness a significant number of people attempting to migrate irregularly to neighboring Iran, largely because of unemployment, economic hardship, and limited livelihood opportunities. Many migrants choose dangerous smuggling routes across vast desert areas, where extreme heat, dehydration, and isolation have repeatedly resulted in fatal incidents.
In recent months, obtaining an Iranian visa has also become more difficult for many Afghan citizens, leading some to rely on illegal border crossings despite the serious risks involved.
