Bulgarian motorway collision claims 12 lives, injures 50

Emergency responders, including police, firefighters, and paramedics, were immediately dispatched to the scene. Visuals from local news outlets depicted a chaotic scene with vehicles—both cars and trucks—stacked across all six lanes of the highway, many severely damaged.

Lyubomir Nikolov, General Secretary of the Interior Ministry, attributed the accident to the dense fog. The initial event involved a collision between a bus and a truck approximately 75 kilometers (47 miles) from Burgas.

Healthcare Minister Katya Ivkova reported that eleven individuals died at the crash site, with one additional death occurring in a hospital setting. The Interior Ministry stated that fifty injured individuals were transported to hospitals for treatment.

Prime Minister Rumen Radev declared Wednesday a national day of mourning in Bulgaria.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was in Bulgaria for a visit, announced she would be shortening her trip. “I would like to express my deepest condolences and I would like to pay respects to the rescue teams,” she stated.

In a released statement, Radev characterized the incident as a “tragedy” and indicated he would be visiting the site, where initial rescue efforts focused on freeing people trapped within their vehicles. Aircraft have been deployed to assist in evacuating the injured.