[1] All three vehicles caught fire and were completely consumed by the flames after the collision on the main road linking the capital, Kabul, to the southern city of Kandahar.

[2] Mohammadullah Ahmadi, the director of the provincial traffic department, said the crash was caused by reckless driving.

Local residents helped fire fighters and first responders pull survivors from the wreckage.

Health ministry spokesman Ismail Kawasi said that most of those who died in the crash were "completely burned beyond recognition".

[3] The vehicles were completely gutted and clouds of acrid smoke shrouded the scene of the crash on the Kabul-Kandahar highway.