Search for 14 missing as severe heat kills five Afghan migrants

Authorities in southwestern Afghanistan were searching on Monday for 14 people missing in the desert after five other migrants trying to reach neighbouring Iran died in the heat, police said.

The group departed more than a week ago in Nimroz, one of the driest and hottest provinces of the country, where temperatures top 45C.

“After their vehicle broke down in a storm and became stuck in the dust, the driver was forced to head towards residential areas in search of a solution or someone who could fix the problem, but he lost his way,” said Gul Mohammad Qudrat, Nimroz province police spokesperson.

“Police found him and took him to the Nimroz provincial hospital for treatment because he was exhausted from thirst and extreme heat,” said Qudrat, without detailing when the driver was found.

Five migrants who had been in the vehicle and died from thirst and exhaustion were subsequently recovered, police said earlier.

“There is still no news about the fate of the other 14 people (missing). Search operations are ongoing in the areas of Chahar Burjak district of Nimroz,” Qudrat said on Monday.

People are drawn to Iran by better job opportunities and a common language, but legal routes are limited.

A doctor at Nimroz provincial hospital told AFP that two brothers were among the five victims brought to the facility by security forces.

“Such cases happen every day; there are many casualties because they lose their way on this route,” he said, requesting anonymity for security reasons.

The latest victims were from Balkh province, hundreds of kilometres away in northern Afghanistan, the doctor said Sunday.

Police said a search was underway for the driver, who had fled the hospital.

Temperatures near the Iran border reach dangerous highs in the summer, but they can also plunge in winter.

At least 18 migrants froze to death while trying to reach Iran from Afghanistan’s Herat province in December, when temperatures were around -3C.