KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban-run police command in Samangan Province says that three people have died in the province due to suffocation caused by toxic gas inside a sewage well.
Heshmatullah Rahmani, spokesperson for the command, said the incident occurred on Friday night (May 8) in Kholm District of the province.
He added that the victims were cleaning the sewage well when they were overcome by toxic gas.
According to him, one of the victims died while being transferred to a health center in Samangan, while the two others died under medical care after being transferred to the city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
The latest tragedy follows a similar incident reported about a month ago in Dara-e-Suf Bala District of Samangan, where two mine workers from Bamyan and Daikundi provinces died due to gas poisoning inside a mine. Their bodies were later handed over to their families.
Last year, similar incidents also claimed the lives of a father and son in Aqcha District of Jowzjan Province and four members of a family in Kabul after exposure to toxic gas in sewage wells.
Taliban authorities previously reported that at least 24 people, including women and children, died in gas-related incidents last winter, while nearly 900 cases of gas poisoning were recorded nationwide.
Mining accidents remain a serious concern in Afghanistan, particularly in remote areas where safety regulations are often poorly enforced. Many miners work under dangerous conditions with limited access to proper ventilation systems and protective equipment, increasing the risk of fatal incidents such as gas poisoning.
Such incidents have raised concerns about the lack of proper safety measures and protective equipment for workers cleaning sewage systems in Afghanistan, where accidental gas poisoning in confined spaces continues to pose a serious risk.
