AT least 26 people have been killed and another 14 injured after a bus overturned down a rocky embankment in Afghanistan.

The horror crash happened around 3am today in Arghandi, outside Kabul.

The 580-model coach veered off the road and rolled down a rocky embankment while on its way from Kandahar to the capital.

Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said the crash was caused due to reckless driving, ABC News reports.

Shocking pictures from the scene showed the mangled bus, with its roof and sides caved in, a stark sign of the brutal crash impact.

Taliban officials and villagers scrambled to pull bodies from the wreckage and rush the wounded to hospitals. 

Several survivors are said to be in critical condition, raising fears the death toll could climb higher.

Deadly road disasters are nothing new for Afghanistan.

Last week in Herat province, a separate crash killed 81 people when a vehicle carrying migrants from Iran went up in flames.

The number of traffic accidents has surged in Afghanistan, with many attributing the rise to careless driving, damaged roadways, and what some critics believe is the Taliban’s inability to properly regulate transportation firms.

“The graph of traffic accidents in the country has risen unprecedentedly compared to any other time,” reported local outlet ABN Pashto on X.

It comes as another horror crash unfolded in Uganda on Tuesday, where a passenger bus ploughed into a wandering elephant.

At least one person was killed and six others left fighting for their lives in the smash near Karuma.

The impact mangled the front of the bus, with officials confirming the driver sustained fatal injuries when the glass and bodywork caved in.

Local media reports indicate that six other passengers were critically injured and transported to the hospital, while several others received treatment on-site for minor injuries.

Uganda Wildlife Authority said the accident was caused by a wild elephant stepping into the road.

The animal, part of a herd of at least four, fled after the collision.

Teams were desperately searching to check on its condition and provide care.

Police impounded the wreckage at Dima Police Station as investigations continue into the deadly crash.