Stampede at Afghanistan-Pakistan border crossing, one person reported dead

• Image Credit: Internet

• Sep 3, 2021 | moderator

At least one person died after a huge rush at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border crossing, which led to a stampede, on Thursday, according to the CNN report. Reportedly, the stampede occurred after Pakistan temporarily closed the Chaman border crossing, the second-largest commercial border point with Afghanistan.

The border crossing connects Afghanistan’s Spin Boldak in Kandahar province with Pakistan’s town Chaman. Hundreds of desperate people are seen in a video trying to cross the border and enter Pakistan as the Taliban had taken control of Afghanistan. A former TOLO News presenter claimed that four people were killed in the stampede.

“The image of the misery of a nation; Pakistan-Afghanistan border through #Spinboldak o #Kandahar is closed. Due to the crowd, 4 people were killed. Thousands of people, including women, and children are sleeping near the borderline right now,” posted Muslim Shirzad on Twitter along with the video.

After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan last month, thousands of Afghans have either thronged the Kabul airport or have crossed land borders with neighboring countries to flee the country in fear of the Taliban’s takeover again. Pakistan is also witnessing a huge influx of Afghan refugees, mainly from the major border crossing in the Spin Boldak region.

Pakistan interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed had earlier said that the Chaman crossing would be closed for some days due to security threats, without providing details about how long the borders would be closed. Islamabad denied entry to about 5,000 Afghans at the Spin Boldak border area, reported CNN quoting an official from Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency.