KABUL, Afghanistan — At least 13 people, most of them members of the same family, were killed this week when their car struck a roadside bomb on the way to a wedding party in northern Afghanistan, officials said.

The bombing Wednesday in Kunduz Province was the latest reminder of how short the distance between joy and grief can be in Afghan life. With the 18-year war having long lost any sense of clear front-lines, carnage can strike anywhere from a mosque to a wedding hall to a country road.

The family of Aziz Rahman, 40, had been on their way to the wedding of one of his cousins in Taliban-controlled territory when their car struck the roadside bomb on Wednesday afternoon. Of the 16 people, mostly young children, who had been in the Toyota wagon, only Mr. Rahman and two others survived.

His mother, his wife, a sister and five of his children were killed, along with two young nephews and three other relatives. A daughter survived.