Sudden technical failure or falling asleep of the driver – the main versions of the tragedy with 45 people
The victims of the severe accident on the Struma Motorway in Bulgaria, in which 45 people died, are in stable condition. All survivors are housed in Sofia’ Pirogov Hospital. Six of them have burns and one is in traumatology. Everyone is in contact. Among them are five men, two women, and her youngest is between 12-15 years old.
52 people were traveling in the bus. The victims have not yet been identified, DNA analysis is yet to be done. Among the victims are 12 children.
As we reported, the incident happened shortly after 2 o’clock this morning. On the Struma Motorway, about 31 km, a bus crashed, killing 45 people as a result of the accident. The vehicle is registered in the Republic of Northern Macedonia, and the owners are of Albanian origin.
The traffic was stopped in both directions. A temporary organization for movement through p.v. Dolna Dikania and p.v. Daskalovo.
Investigators are working on two main versions, and so far it is clear that there was no accident. It is checked whether the driver is asleep or a sudden technical problem has occurred.
The bus driver was also killed. The bus was traveling in a convoy, being the last of a total of four. They all traveled from Istanbul, where the passengers were on a trip. The other vehicles continued on their way.
This morning, Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov and Prime Minister Stefan Yanev arrived at the scene of the incident, and Zoran Zaev is also traveling to the Struma Motorway.
“It’s not for watching there. I have never seen anything like it. People are crowded, they are on coal. They now need to be identified. The guardrail was taken away by the bus. It is quite possible that this ignition occurred as a result of contact with the guardrail. But these are our versions, “Rashkov said.
“It’s a huge tragedy. I take this opportunity to express my condolences to the relatives of the victims. This news shook us and demanded that the Bulgarian state react very quickly and do our best to investigate this road accident, “said Stefan Yanev.
“Tragedies are common, Bulgaria can declare mourning” – Yanev and Zaev about the crash of “Struma”
“The tragedies are common, no matter what nationality at least 45 people were killed,” the prime minister continued. Asked about the ongoing investigation, he said the inspections would yield results when they were completed. Additional logistical support is not needed yet, Yanev said. According to the prime minister, the authorities have started collecting information on the topic, but it is “part of the investigation”.
“The Macedonian side also has information about the company (which organized the transport), but this is part of the investigation and we do not want to provoke unpleasant feelings in the relatives of the victims, nor in all citizens.
“I would not accept any speculation about the role of the road section,” Yanev said.
Zaev also expressed condolences for the death of 9 people in the fire in the nursing home. “I was informed 10 minutes after the accident by Prime Minister Stefan Yanev to see the people who managed to stay alive in the hospital, and to see the Bulgarian leadership to find out the details,” he said.
A delicate moment
“I was informed 10 minutes after the accident by Prime Minister Stefan Yanev to see the people who managed to stay alive in the hospital, and to see the Bulgarian leadership to find out the details,” Zaev said.
The trust between the institutions is great and we will assist the citizens with information. The pain in both nations is great, but that of the lost families is indescribable, the Prime Minister continued.
Asked how the catastrophe affects the delicate moment for bilateral relations, in which a dispute is blocking Macedonia’s European integration, Zaev replied only that a message of positive interaction and influence should now be sent and that the institutions work together.
Bulgaria has lost its citizens, Northern Macedonia has lost its citizens, I would not like to comment today, said Zaev, when asked to comment on whether it is possible for Sofia and Skopje to agree without concessions for Bulgaria. However, he announced that he was continuing to work for a solution.
“Today is a special day, a day to demonstrate our empathy and also to look at our roots, which are the basis of our good neighborly relations with the Republic of Northern Macedonia,” Yanev said. “And in a purely political aspect, whether and how relations between the two countries will develop, I have always stated and believed in the dialogue, in the way we approach honestly, openly and I hope to seek a solution so that it is mutually beneficial to both countries. . “
The picture is horrifying and not everyone can stand it. The tragedy will be clarified in detail in the course of the investigation. Not for
watching. I have never seen anything like it before. People are also huddled on coals inside, so no one can tell right now
how many people are inside, nor to be identified, said Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov, who is on site.
The head of the national investigation, Borislav Sarafov, announced that two versions were being worked on, one of which was a human error and the other a technical malfunction. He also said that four buses of one owner were traveling. They were returning from Istanbul. That is why it is not excluded that people from one bus have transferred to another. Biologists who will take DNA samples are traveling to the site. As
people have been burned beyond recognition and only in this way will it be known who is who.
At least 46 people have died after a Macedonian-registered passenger bus caught fire on the Struma highway, Nova reported. The tragic incident happened near the Pernik village of Bosnek on Tuesday night. Seven people were injured and taken to Pirogov Hospital. Their condition is still unclear.
It is unclear what caused the incident. The signal for the incident was received at about 2 o’clock at night. According to information so far, the victims are citizens of northern Macedonia. Among the dead there are a total of 12 minors, among them – 5 minors.
“A great tragedy has happened. We have personally informed President Radev and Prime Minister Yanev. The reasons for the incident are yet to be clarified, we do not know if they are our citizens. Teams are being prepared to go to the scene. It is a pity that there is children. The pain is great, condolences to the families of the refugees “, said the Prime Minister of Northern Macedonia Zoran Zaev.
According to him, the bus was traveling for a trip to Istanbul.
The Road Infrastructure Agency announced that the traffic on the highway in the section from the road junction “Daskalovo” to the road junction “Dolna Dikanya” is limited in both directions.
The bypass route is: road junction “Dolna Dikanya” – road III-627 – Radomir, and road I-6 to road junction “Daskalovo”. Traffic in the area is very difficult.
Authorities have asked that drones and other equipment not be allowed into the area to hamper police and fire operations.
The travel agency is from Skopje, so I think most of the passengers on the bus are from the capital. As Monday was a non-working day in Northern Macedonia, it was Albanian Alphabet Day, and most people in the country used the extended weekend for excursions. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Northern Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, upon entering Pirogov.
He and his Bulgarian counterpart Svetlan Stoev will talk to the survivors of the accident. According to Osmani, all the dead were young people, with 12 children among the victims. According to the information available to the Macedonian Foreign Minister, there were 53 people in the coffin bus.
The tragedy happened on the 31st kilometer of the Struma highway shortly after 2 am tonight, near the junction for the village of Bosnek. Four tourist buses were traveling from Turkey to northern Macedonia, the last of which hit the guardrail and caught fire. 45 died, including 12 children.
Seven people survived and were transported to Pirogov, including a 17-year-old girl. They have burns to the face, arms and upper respiratory tract, and have lacerations. One of the victims has a fractured thigh and was hospitalized in traumatology. The wounded are in contact, but are in a serious mental condition.
The tourist company Besa Trans, which owns the bus that crashed on the Struma highway, is registered in Kyustendil, 24 Chasa reported. The company has existed since 2011, and since 2019 the sole owner of its capital is 30-year-old A. Z. – a Macedonian citizen of Albanian origin. The company regularly organizes trips to Turkey. Although officially registered in Kyustendil, the company has offices in Skopje and several cities in northern Macedonia.
Politicians from all over the world offered their condolences to the victims of the catastrophe in Bulgaria
In these terrible times, Europe is expressing its solidarity with you, the head of the EC wrote on Twitter.
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen expressed her condolences to the relatives of the victims of the bus accident in Bulgaria, in which 46 people died.
“I express my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the tragic bus accident in Bulgaria last night. I also wish a speedy recovery to the wounded. In these terrible times, Europe is expressing its solidarity with you,” the EC chief wrote. Twitter.
My deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who perished in the tragic bus accident last night in Bulgaria.
I also wish a fast recovery to those injured.
In these terrible times, Europe stands in solidarity with you.
– Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) November 23, 2021
Earlier, EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Oliver Warhey expressed his condolences.
“Early this morning, terrible news arrived about the tragic bus accident in Bulgaria. All my thoughts are with the relatives of the dead, to whom I express my condolences, as well as with the friends of the victims. I wish the wounded a speedy recovery,” he said.
The US Embassy also expressed condolences over the incident on the Struma Highway.
“We at the US Embassy have learned with sadness about the deaths in the bus crash near the village of Bosnek, as well as the fire in the nursing home in the village of Royak. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families and we hope for a speedy recovery.” point out from there on their official Facebook page.
