A severe traffic accident on the Trakia motorway in southeastern Bulgaria has resulted in the deaths of at least 12 people, according to Prime Minister Rumen Radev. The incident involved dozens of cars and lorries in two separate pile-ups near the town of Zimnitsa. Health Minister Katya Ivkova confirmed that 11 individuals died at the scene on Tuesday, while a twelfth victim passed away later in a hospital. Approximately 50 other people were transported to medical facilities with injuries.
Sliven regional governor Mihail Kasherov stated that more than 70 vehicles were involved in the crash. Officials have identified dense fog as the primary cause of the initial collision, which occurred on the eastbound carriageway. The low visibility conditions were reported to have significantly impacted driver reaction times, leading to a chain-reaction accident.
A second crash took place on the Sofia-bound carriageway shortly after the first. An official reported to the Bulgarian state news agency BTA that this second collision was likely also caused by the fog, compounded by drivers being distracted by the earlier incident. The Trakia motorway is a major transportation route that runs from west to east across the country, connecting the capital, Sofia, to the Black Sea coast.
Galin Kostov, the director of the road administration, noted that vehicle speeds were not suitable for the conditions, which included wet road surfaces. He announced that the motorway would remain closed until the site was fully cleared. The timing of the accident was particularly difficult for emergency services, as the fog prevented the use of helicopters for evacuation efforts.
Yambol regional governor Georgi Chalakov reported that the first calls came in at 07:10 local time, which is 05:10 GMT. Injured passengers were taken by ambulance to hospitals in the Yambol, Sliven, and Burgas regions. Chalakov explained that rescue teams had to remove sections of the crash barrier to reach trapped victims, highlighting the complexity of the rescue operation.
Witnesses described the scene as chaotic and dangerous. One individual who assisted in rescuing a man from a burning vehicle blamed the very thick fog for the pile-up. The witness told Reuters news agency that they ran forward to pull the man from the vehicle, emphasizing the immediacy of the danger.
Another survivor provided a harrowing account of the event to Reuters, stating that many, many people died. The witness described having four trucks behind their car and expressed gratitude for their survival, noting that they were unsure how they managed to escape the wreckage.
In response to the tragedy, Prime Minister Radev declared Wednesday a day of national mourning. Radev had been hosting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen when he received the news. He cut short a scheduled news conference to visit the scene of the accident personally, underscoring the gravity of the event for the nation.
The incident has drawn significant attention to road safety during adverse weather conditions in Bulgaria. As cleanup efforts continue, authorities are working to reopen the vital motorway link between the capital and the coast, while families of the victims grapple with the sudden loss of life.
The combination of fog, wet roads, and high speeds appears to have created a perfect storm for the disaster. Emergency services and local officials are coordinating to manage the aftermath, with hospitals in the affected regions treating the injured survivors of the multi-vehicle collisions.
