KABUL: A van slammed into a fuel tanker in western Afghanistan on Sunday, killing 23 people in the latest horrific accident in a country with poorly maintained roads and often reckless driving.

The crash happened Sunday morning on the main highway between the city of Herat and the Iranian border, said Raouf Ahmadi, a spokesman for the provincial police chief in western Herat province.

He added that four people were injured in the accident.

Authorities do not know what caused the accident, but Ahmadi said initial reports indicated that “both drivers' carelessness” was to blame.

Afghanistan has frequent traffic accidents often caused by bad roads and poor driving. On Aug 17, a truck loaded with people and animals crashed in a mountainous area of northwestern Afghanistan, killing 32 people.