At least 11 people were killed, and dozens were injured after more than 70 vehicles collided on both sides of a highway in eastern Bulgaria on Tuesday as dense fog caused poor visibility. Several cars caught fire after the collision, triggering chaos on the road.
Police, firefighters and ambulance crews rushed to the highway located near the city of Yambol that connected the capital Sofia with the eastern city of Burgas. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev told reporters that 11 people were dead and nearly 50 others were injured.
Several images and videos on social media showed several cars and trucks piled up on the highway, with many vehicles crushed, overturned and burned. Mihail Kasherov, the regional governor of Bulgaria's Sliven city, said more than 70 vehicles were involved.
While speaking alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was visiting Bulgaria as part of a tour of the Black Sea region, Radev described the incident as a "tragedy", saying that he had deployed aircraft to evacuate the wounded and revealed plans to visit the scene.
{{/usCountry}}While speaking alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was visiting Bulgaria as part of a tour of the Black Sea region, Radev described the incident as a "tragedy", saying that he had deployed aircraft to evacuate the wounded and revealed plans to visit the scene.
{{/usCountry}}He also cancelled his engagements in Varna because of the crashes. Von der Leyen also cut her trip short, saying, "I would like to express my deepest condolences and I would like to pay respects to the rescue teams."
According to local reports, a man managed to rescue another person from a burning vehicle by smashing the window with a car jack. Another person escaped death by getting out moments before more cars collided with their vehicle.
Dense fog led to accident
According to the Novinite news outlet, the two pile-ups happened a few kilometres apart near the Zimnitsa junction, one on the Burgas-bound carriageway and the other heading towards Sofia. The accident started with a collision between a bus and a truck on the side of the highway heading towards Burgas.
Lyubomir Nikolov, the acting chief secretary of Bulgaria's interior ministry, also said the dense fog was the likely cause of the accident. Novinite quoted one eyewitness saying that visibility was down to just 30 metres at the time of the collision. Regional Road Administration Director Galin Kostov also cited the wet road surface and speeds unsuitable for the conditions, according to BTA News.
Chief Inspector Todor Mishinev from the Yambol Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs told Nova TV that some people were still trapped in their cars. "Right now, the priority is rescue operations. Once they are completed, the procedural and investigative actions will be carried out," he said.
A full crisis task force has been convened in the wake of the accident. The highway has been closed in both directions.
(with inputs from Reuters, AFP)