At least 17 Afghan migrants reportedly die of thirst near Iran border

At least 17 Afghan migrants, including women and children, have reportedly died from severe thirst near Saravan in southeastern Iran, according to the human rights group HalVash.

The incident reportedly occurred on Thursday, September 10, in the Mak-Sukhteh area of Rutak, Saravan County. HalVash said the victims’ bodies were later transferred to a morgue in the nearby city of Khash.

Videos released by the group show people digging several graves at an unidentified location.

HalVash reported that five of the victims were members of a family from Afghanistan’s Baghlan province. They included a 45-year-old mother and her four daughters, aged 22, 18, 16 and 14. Relatives of the family live in Saravan, and a funeral prayer was expected to be held Sunday.

According to HalVash, at least six other victims were children under the age of 14.

Witnesses and relatives told the group that the migrants ran critically short of water during their journey and died of thirst. Some reportedly died within a short distance of one another.

A relative said the men travelling with the group separated from the women and children during the journey, leaving the women and children to continue without adequate access to water.

Local sources said the bodies were transferred to Khash because the Saravan morgue lacked sufficient capacity.

Four days after the incident, relatives were reportedly still working to arrange the transfer and burial of the victims.

HalVash cautioned that it could not independently verify the exact number of deaths or all details surrounding the incident. The identities of the remaining victims and the circumstances of their deaths were still under investigation.