Bulgaria in Mourning After Deadly Motorway Pile-Up Kills 12

A devastating multi-vehicle accident on a motorway in eastern Bulgaria has claimed the lives of 12 people and left 50 others injured. The pile-up occurred on Tuesday on the A1 highway, which connects the capital Sofia with the eastern city of Burgas, during conditions of thick fog, according to officials.

The collision involved dozens of vehicles, including cars, trucks, and a bus. Local media images showed wreckage scattered across six lanes of the highway, with many vehicles crushed, overturned, or forced off the road. Emergency services, including police, firefighters, and ambulance crews, rushed to the scene to rescue those trapped and transport the wounded to hospitals.

General Secretary of the Interior Ministry, Lyubomir Nikolov, told reporters at the site that fog was the likely cause of the accident. The initial collision appears to have been between a bus and a truck approximately 75 kilometers (47 miles) west of Burgas. Healthcare Minister Katya Ivkova confirmed that 11 people died at the scene and one more in the hospital.

Prime Minister Rumen Radev has declared Wednesday a day of national mourning and described the incident as a tragedy. He also deployed aircraft to evacuate the injured and planned to visit the scene. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was visiting Bulgaria on Tuesday, cut her trip short and expressed her deepest condolences, paying respects to the rescue teams.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the exact circumstances of the crash, though preliminary assessments point to the severe weather conditions as the primary factor. The government has pledged support for the victims and their families during this difficult time.