The Taliban police command in Herat has reported a large fire at the Islam Qala border customs port. The incident, which occurred on Wednesday evening, September 30th, resulted in the complete destruction of 15 tankers carrying fuel. According to officials, there were no casualties in the incident.
According to information released by the Taliban police, initial assessments show that in addition to the 15 tankers that were completely destroyed, three other tankers were partially damaged. Firefighting teams managed to control the blaze after extensive efforts.
Local sources had previously told media outlets that the fire was very large and that hundreds of other tankers carrying gas and petroleum products were located near the incident site, raising serious concerns about the fire spreading. In videos released from the event, drivers can be seen frantically trying to move their vehicles away from the fire area.
This is not the first time the Islam Qala customs port has witnessed such an incident. About five years ago, on Feuary 13, 2021, a massive fire oke out in the public parking area of the same port, which engulfed hundreds of tankers and trucks carrying petroleum products and injured dozens of people. At that time, officials also announced that the event had no fatalities.
The 2021 fire was controlled with the help of firefighting teams from Iran, located on the other side of the border. The Islam Qala port is one of the largest and most important trade gateways between Afghanistan and Iran, with hundreds of cargo trucks passing through it daily.
The cause of the recent fire has not yet been officially announced, but similar incidents in the past have often occurred due to a lack of safety precautions or technical problems with the tankers. Taliban officials have stated that an investigation into the matter is underway.
Source: Afghanistan International
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