KABUL, Afghanistan -- A minibus crash in northern Afghanistan killed 25 people, including nine children and 12 women, a police spokesman said Wednesday.

The accident happened in a mountainous area with half-paved roads in Sar-e-Pul province as the passengers were returning from a wedding. They were traveling from one part of Sayyad district to another.

Din Mohammad Nazari, the spokesman for the local police commander, blamed the minibus driver for the crash. He said the car fell into a deep pit because of his carelessness. Nazari did not say if there were any survivors.

Traffic accidents are common in Afghanistan, mainly due to poor road conditions and carelessness of drivers on highways.