Six migrants lost their lives in Burgas after the vehicle they were traveling in overturned and plunged into Lake Vaya during a high-speed police chase. The incident occurred late Tuesday after border police pursued the car for several kilometers across the region. The driver, a Romanian national, survived the crash and has been detained for questioning. Three other migrants sustained injuries and were transported to the regional hospital in Burgas for treatment.
The pursuit began near the coastal town of Kiten when a patrol unit from the Border Police signaled the car, which had Romanian registration plates, to stop. Instead of complying, the driver accelerated, attempting to evade capture by taking an internal route through the villages of Yasna Polyana and Rosen. Police units continued the chase along local roads leading toward Burgas.
As the vehicle approached the city’s outskirts near the “Poda” checkpoint, it collided with another car, forcing it off the road before speeding onto “Todor Alexandrov” Boulevard. Police had already set up a roadblock near the “Vladimir Pavlov” Bridge to stop the fleeing car. However, the driver lost control, likely due to the wet and slippery road surface, and the vehicle overturned, plunging into the waters of Lake Vaya.
Emergency teams, including police, firefighters, and rescue divers, were dispatched immediately. Six of the nine migrants were pronounced dead at the scene, while the three survivors were taken to the hospital under police guard. The Romanian driver, who managed to escape the wreck with minor injuries, was detained for questioning as investigators work to determine the circumstances behind the incident and the network responsible for smuggling the migrants into the country.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the case, focusing on both the causes of the crash and the organized channel through which the migrants entered Bulgaria. The incident adds to a series of recent high-risk pursuits involving migrant smugglers attempting to cross the country en route to Western Europe.