11 killed in massive pile-up involving over 50 vehicles on Bulgaria highway

The pile-ups involved cars, vans, lorries and other heavy vehicles. Drone footage released by Bulgarian broadcaster Nova showed the scale of the destruction, with vehicles crushed together across the motorway and several trucks and cars pushed off the road.The pile-ups involved cars, vans, lorries and other heavy vehicles. (Photo: Reuters)More than 50 cars, lorries and other vehicles were caught up in two huge pile-ups on a foggy Bulgarian motorway on Tuesday, killing 11 people and leaving 48 others injured. The crashes took place on the Trakia motorway near Yambol, which is a major route connecting the capital Sofia with the Black Sea city of Burgas. The collisions shut the motorway in both directions as emergency crews worked through the wreckage to rescue people trapped inside vehicles.The first emergency call was received at about 7:10 am (local time), when dense fog had reduced visibility to dangerously low levels. An eyewitness reportedly estimated that drivers could see only around 30 metres ahead.The pile-ups involved cars, vans, lorries and other heavy vehicles. Drone footage released by Bulgarian broadcaster Nova showed the scale of the destruction, with vehicles crushed together across the motorway and several trucks and cars pushed off the road.Firefighters and ambulance crews rushed to the scene, while police officers closed the road and began coordinating rescue operations. Prime Minister Rumen Radev confirmed the death toll and said dozens of people had been taken to hospital."The toll at this point is 11 dead and 48 injured," Radev told reporters. Officials said some of the injured were in serious or life-threatening condition. Hospitals in Yambol and the nearby city of Sliven received casualties from the crashes. Debris and damaged vehicles at the site of a highway pileup that killed several people, neat Yambol, Bulgaria. (Photo: Reuters) BUS-TRUCK COLLISION TRIGGERED CHAOSAccording to Lyubomir Nikolov, acting chief secretary of Bulgaria's Interior Ministry, the accident on the carriageway towards Burgas began when a bus collided with a truck. The heavy fog was considered a major factor in the crash, officials said. The initial collision quickly turned into a chain reaction as vehicles travelling through the low-visibility stretch crashed into one another.Todor Mishinev, head of traffic police in Yambol, said rescue teams had to cut through twisted metal to reach people trapped inside vehicles, including tanker lorries.Chief Inspector Mishinev also warned that some people remained trapped as rescue operations continued."Right now, the priority is rescue operations. Once they are completed, the procedural and investigative actions will be carried out," he said.The motorway was closed between the Zimnitsa and Kabile junctions. Authorities said the closure could remain in place for some time because of the number of heavy vehicles involved and the need for investigators to examine the crash site.SURVIVORS RECALL MOMENTS OF HORRORPeople who survived the pile-ups described a terrifying chain of impacts that unfolded within seconds. One driver told Nova that a lorry struck his vehicle from behind, sending it into the crash barrier and then into another car."Terrifying! The red lorry slammed into us from behind. I could hear it coming, braking hard. I told my colleague, 'Hold on, we're going to be hit!'" he said, as quoted by Euro News."It crashed into us and sent us flying into the crash barrier. We hit another car, and within seconds, as we were getting out, all those other cars crashed into each other."A passenger travelling on a bus described an equally chaotic scene inside the vehicle after the crash."The real horror was inside the bus. Grain was falling on us from above, through the windows. All the windows were shattered, glass was raining down, and we were all piled on top of each other. Some had fallen, others were injured, and some were trapped," she said.RESCUE OPERATION UNDERWAYPolice, firefighters and medical teams continued working at the scene, searching vehicles and removing people from the wreckage. Radev cancelled his engagements in Varna after the crashes and said aircraft had been deployed to help evacuate injured people. He also said he planned to visit the accident site.The prime minister described the incident as a "tragedy" during a visit by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Von der Leyen shortened her visit following news of the crashes and expressed condolences to those affected."I would like to express my deepest condolences and I would like to pay respects to the rescue teams," von der Leyen said.European Parliament President Roberta Metsola also offered condolences to the families of those killed."My sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims of the tragic crash on the Trakia motorway," Metsola wrote on X."Gratitude to the rescue services and medical teams working tirelessly at the scene of the incident. At this difficult time, our thoughts and hearts are with everyone affected by the tragedy."Yambol, where the crashes occurred, lies about 185 miles from Sofia and roughly 31 miles north of Bulgaria's border with Turkey. Authorities have not yet released the identities of those killed.- EndsWith inputs from agencies