Bulgarian authorities said at least 45 people had been confirmed dead, including 12 children, after a bus caught fire and crashed on a highway Tuesday. The bus was carrying mostly North Macedonian tourists, who were with a group of other tourists in three other buses traveling from Istanbul to Skopje.
The bus that crashed carried 52 people when it caught on fire and crashed through a guardrail between two sides of a highway near Bosniak in western Bulgaria. Seven people were able to jump from the bus before it crashed.
Those that escaped the bus sustained minor to severe injuries, including burns and lacerations, but were otherwise in stable condition. One of the survivors said they managed to break the vehicle’s windows before it crashed.
Bulgarian interior minister Boyko Rashkov, who visited the crash site, described the scene as “horrifying.” He added that many of the victim’s bodies were burned to ash, and it was difficult to identify them.
Prime Minister Zoran Zaev of North Macedonia visited the scene and the hospital where the survivors were taken on Tuesday. He described the incident as a “terrible tragedy,” especially given that a lot of the victims were little children.
Bulgaria’s acting prime minister, Stefan Yanev, also paid a visit to the accident scene. “This news shocked us,” he said, adding that his administration was working quickly to figure out what had happened.
According to a news release on the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Svetlan Stoev and his North Macedonian colleague, Mr. Osmani, spoke by phone on Tuesday. According to the press statement, Mr. Osmani was going to Pirogov Hospital to speak with Mr. Stoev.
The reason for the accident is still unknown, although police suspect the bus may have caught fire before colliding with a highway barrier. Authorities have roped off the area surrounding the Struma road accident as investigations continue.
Investigators believe that human error or a technical breakdown may be the two most likely explanations for the fatal crash.
