17 Afghans die of thirst crossing Iran-Pakistan border in Sistan-Baluchistan

September 23, 2026 at 05:30 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Seventeen Afghan migrants died of extreme dehydration in mid-September after crossing into Iran through Pakistan, according to the human rights group Haalvsh. Among the dead were a mother and her four daughters from Baghlan province, whose bodies were recovered by a family member in the village of Mak Sukhteh. The deaths highlight the dangers faced by Afghans fleeing poverty and Taliban rule.

Key Facts

Haalvsh reported that 17 Afghans died of extreme dehydration in mid-September after crossing Iran through Pakistan.
Nizam Hematkhil recovered the bodies of his stepmother and her four daughters, aged between six and 15, in the village of Mak Sukhteh.
A Taliban diplomatic source confirmed a mother and four daughters died on September 11 due to severe thirst, but disputed the claim that 17 Afghans died.
The UN refugee agency UNHCR estimates around 4.5 million Afghans live in Iran, including more than 2 million undocumented migrants.

The Deaths

Nizam Hematkhil rushed to the village of Mak Sukhteh in Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan province after hearing that a group of Afghan migrants had died. He found the bodies of his stepmother and her four daughters, aged between six and 15, and said the cause of their deaths was thirst. The family had been on their way to join Hematkhil in Iran, having returned to Afghanistan the previous year after exhausting their savings. A relative who accompanied them said the mother and daughters crossed into Iran without taking water, while the stepmother's son survived and was taken to Saravan in critical condition.

Disputed Toll

The human rights group Haalvsh reported that 17 Afghans died of extreme dehydration in mid-September after crossing Iran through Pakistan. Haalvsh released a video appearing to show locals digging graves, and another video purportedly shows people listening to a sermon in Pashto. A Taliban diplomatic source confirmed to Radio Azadi that a mother and her four daughters died on September 11 due to severe thirst, but disputed the claim that 17 Afghans died.

Afghan Migration

Millions of Afghans fleeing war, persecution, and poverty have sought refuge in Iran for decades, with hundreds of thousands more moving there since 2021. The Taliban's seizure of power in 2021 worsened one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, shrinking the Afghan economy and raising joblessness and poverty. The UN refugee agency UNHCR estimates around 4.5 million Afghans live in Iran, including more than 2 million undocumented migrants.