Fog-driven pile-ups involving 86 vehicles kill 12 on Bulgarian motorway

Twelve people were killed when dense fog caused two major pile-ups on the Trakia motorway in south-eastern Bulgaria on the morning of November 10. Prime Minister Rumen Radev declared November 11 a day of national mourning.

According to Bulgarian state news agency BTA, the crashes happened near the Zimnitsa junction in Yambol Region, and the Interior Ministry put the total number of vehicles involved at 86: 63 on the Burgas-bound carriageway and 23 on the Sofia-bound carriageway. The first reports came in at 07:10 local time.

Casualties

Health Minister Katya Ivkova said 11 people died at the scene and another later died in hospital, the BBC reported. BTA said 51 people were admitted to hospitals in Sliven, Yambol and Burgas, 13 of them in serious condition. Officials said all of those killed had been travelling towards Burgas and that no children were among the dead or injured.

Cause

Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said visibility had fallen to about 70–80 metres before the crashes as the fog thickened rapidly. Acting Interior Ministry Secretary General Lyubomir Nikolov said the first pile-up began on the Burgas-bound carriageway after a lorry blocked the path of a passenger bus, followed by collisions involving a lorry carrying wheat and a car. Investigators believe drivers on the opposite carriageway may have slowed to look at the first crash, setting off the second. Regional Road Administration Director Galin Kostov also cited the wet road surface and speeds unsuitable for the conditions.

Rescue

A medical helicopter could not land at the scene because of the fog, so its crew was taken there by police car. Yambol regional governor Georgi Chalakov declared a partial state of emergency in the municipalities of Straldzha, Tundzha and Yambol. Rescuers had to remove sections of crash barrier to reach the injured, and the Road Infrastructure Agency said the motorway would stay closed in both directions for a prolonged period. Nikolov said officials would consider improving road markings on sections prone to fog.

The crash was also discussed by Mongolian users on X.

Sources: BTA, BBC, Associated Press, DW.