[REVISION HISTORY]

Road accidents in Bulgaria

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2026-10-29 08:32 UTC → 2026-10-29 15:13 UTC · added ~~removed~~

A series of significant traffic accidents occurred on Bulgarian roads in late October 2026. On October 20, a collision between a bus and a semi-trailer truck on the Pazardzhik–Plovdiv road resulted in the deaths of both drivers. The bus was empty at the time of the crash, and no other injuries were reported. On October 28, a severe multi-vehicle accident occurred around 2:30 a.m. on the Ruse-Sofia highway near the villages of Strahilovo and Maslarevo. The incident involved two heavy trucks—one with Bulgarian registration and one with Hungarian registration—and an international bus traveling the Bucharest-Sofia-Thessaloniki route. Initial reports indicate the two trucks collided and caught fire, killing both drivers at the scene. An international bus carrying 38 people subsequently crashed into the burning vehicles and also caught fire. The passengers were identified as 36 Erasmus students, including foreign nationals from the USA, Norway, Serbia, and Japan. To escape the flames, passengers were forced to break the bus's side windows to evacuate. While most escaped without serious injury, some were treated for minor injuries and two individuals were hospitalized in Veliko Tarnovo for medical examinations. A crisis center was established in Polski Trambesh to provide food, water, and shelter. The Veliko Tarnovo District Prosecutor's Office has launched a pre-trial investigation into causing death through negligence. Investigators are examining whether a driver lost control on a wet road, if a truck had an expired technical inspection, or if excessive speed was a factor. Authorities are also working to retrieve GPS data to determine the vehicles' speeds prior to the impact. The investigation is currently exploring five primary hypotheses: driver fatigue, sudden health issues, technical failure, exhaustion, and speeding. Additionally, the regional road administration is considering new traffic organization projects and speed limits for the affected section.

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