At least 18 people were killed and 29 others injured after a truck carrying returning refugee families overturned on the Kabul–Jalalabad highway in eastern Afghanistan early Saturday, local authorities said.

According to the Laghman Provincial Media and Public Relations Office, the accident occurred at approximately 5:30 a.m. near the Surkhakan intersection in Laghman province.

Officials said the victims included 10 children, five women and three men, who had been returning to Afghanistan from Pakistan where they had lived as refugees.

Emergency responders, including traffic police and members of the provincial migrant affairs committee, arrived at the scene shortly after the incident and launched rescue operations. The injured were subsequently transferred to medical facilities in neighboring Nangarhar province for treatment.

Authorities have not yet disclosed the cause of the accident, and an investigation is expected to determine the circumstances that led to the vehicle overturning.

Road accidents remain a persistent challenge in Afghanistan, where poor road conditions, overcrowded vehicles, speeding, and limited traffic enforcement frequently contribute to deadly crashes.

Afghanistan’s Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs attended the international closing ceremony of this year’s Hajj season at the invitation of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and held meetings with Hajj ministers and officials from several countries.

In a statement posted on X on Saturday, the ministry said the ceremony was held in the holy city of Mecca to mark the successful conclusion of this year’s Hajj operations.

According to the statement, Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah commended the efforts and effective management of Hajj missions from various countries, including Afghanistan.

The statement added that Al-Rabiah announced the start of preparations for next year’s Hajj season and provided representatives of participating countries with preliminary planning documents and a timetable for the upcoming pilgrimage.

Afghanistan’s Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs, Noor Mohammad Saqib, thanked the Saudi government, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, and service providers for the facilities and services extended to pilgrims.

On the sidelines of the event, Saqib also met with several Hajj ministers and officials from other countries, exchanging views and information on matters of mutual interest and developments in their respective countries, the statement said.

A delegation from Afghanistan’s pharmaceutical sector has signed a $5 million agreement with five major Uzbek pharmaceutical companies to import medicines from Uzbekistan, officials said.

The 35-member delegation from Balkh province signed the agreements during a visit to Tashkent aimed at expanding pharmaceutical trade between the two countries.

Officials at the Balkh Chamber of Commerce and Investment said the deal could help meet up to 25 percent of Afghanistan’s medicine demand through imports from Uzbekistan.

Mohammad Sadiq Mohammadi, head of the pharmaceutical union in Balkh, said contracts worth nearly $5 million had been finalized with Uzbek companies for the supply of medicines to Afghanistan.

The Balkh Chamber of Commerce and Investment also described Uzbek medicines as affordable for Afghan traders and said the agreements could help address a significant portion of the country’s pharmaceutical needs.

Economic analysts said medicines produced in Uzbekistan are considered high-quality and reasonably priced, while also emphasizing the importance of strengthening domestic pharmaceutical production in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan continues to rely heavily on imported medicines, and reduced trade with Pakistan has increased the country’s dependence on pharmaceutical imports from alternative markets.