> *7 victims have been hospitalized without life-threatening injuries.*
>
> **46 people died in a fire after a bus burst in flames last night on the Struma Motorway, the Bulgarian Ministry of Internal Affairs has reported.**
>
> A 112 call for a burning bus was made after 2am last night.
>
> There are no victims from Bulgaria. The bus was traveling to North Macedonia and entered Bulgaria from Turkey. Among the victims there are 12 children, according to Bulgarian TV channel bTV.
>
> The accident happened around Bosnek. 7 victims have been hospitalized in the Pirogov hospital in the capital of Bulgaria without life-threatening injuries.
>
> None of the hospitalized victims is a Bulgarian citizen. They are all conscious and in stable condition. Six of the victims have been hospitalized with burns, and one with a leg injury. After medical evaluation they have all been hospitalized preemptively.
>
> A little past midnight the bus stopped at a gas station near Bulgaria’s capital Sofia, after which it continued on its way. An hour later it crashed.
>
> According to initial reports, the reason why people couldn’t escape the burning vehicle was that the bus had rolled over. One of the working versions is that the vehicle hit a traffic barrier. It is not yet clear whether the bus burst into flames after hitting the barrier, or a rogue fire caused the bus to crash.
>
> Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said that there are kids among the victims. “I’m terrified, this is a tragedy. I am sorry about the accident,” Zaev said in an interview with bTV. Zaev was notified of the tragedy by the interim Bulgarian Prime Minister Stefan Yanev. “We are thankful to Bulgarian authorities who are doing everything in their power to preserve the lives of the surviving victims. We would also be thankful for the full investigation of this tragedy,” Zaev added.
>
> There is a 50-metre long stretch of destroyed traffic barrier on the Motorway Struma that was torn by the accident, Pernik mayor Stanislav Vladimirov reported.
>
> The Bulgarian Road Infrastructure agency stated that the motorway is closed from the “Daskalovo” junction to the “Dolna Dikanya” junction. Traffic has been diverted through “Dolna Dikanya” – road III-627 – Radomir, and through road I-6 to “Daskalovo”.
This is absolutely tragic. My heart goes out to the victims and their families.
Is there some explanation about the fire? I don’t see how it can burst in flames just like that.
What a sad day…
Fire is an awful way to go. May they rest in peace.
What an evil nightmare… It’s hard to imagine a worse way to go… I hope the survivors get a lot of support.
Reports indicate all the victims are just stacked in one huge pile of charcoal, died together as they looked for safety from the fire. Burned alive, what an awful way to go.
What I don’t understand is how does it hit the traffic barrier and then just combust like that? It’s like a bonfire. Sounds like a freak accident. Awful.
17 comments
So sad, may the soul of the dead one rest in peace and I wish the injured one a quick recovery
Dozens killed in Bulgaria bus fire, including children https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-59383852
https://offnews.bg/112/patnicheski-avtobus-se-zapali-na-struma-46-dushi-zaginaha-sred-t-765388.html
> *7 victims have been hospitalized without life-threatening injuries.*
>
> **46 people died in a fire after a bus burst in flames last night on the Struma Motorway, the Bulgarian Ministry of Internal Affairs has reported.**
>
> A 112 call for a burning bus was made after 2am last night.
>
> There are no victims from Bulgaria. The bus was traveling to North Macedonia and entered Bulgaria from Turkey. Among the victims there are 12 children, according to Bulgarian TV channel bTV.
>
> The accident happened around Bosnek. 7 victims have been hospitalized in the Pirogov hospital in the capital of Bulgaria without life-threatening injuries.
>
> None of the hospitalized victims is a Bulgarian citizen. They are all conscious and in stable condition. Six of the victims have been hospitalized with burns, and one with a leg injury. After medical evaluation they have all been hospitalized preemptively.
>
> A little past midnight the bus stopped at a gas station near Bulgaria’s capital Sofia, after which it continued on its way. An hour later it crashed.
>
> According to initial reports, the reason why people couldn’t escape the burning vehicle was that the bus had rolled over. One of the working versions is that the vehicle hit a traffic barrier. It is not yet clear whether the bus burst into flames after hitting the barrier, or a rogue fire caused the bus to crash.
>
> Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said that there are kids among the victims. “I’m terrified, this is a tragedy. I am sorry about the accident,” Zaev said in an interview with bTV. Zaev was notified of the tragedy by the interim Bulgarian Prime Minister Stefan Yanev. “We are thankful to Bulgarian authorities who are doing everything in their power to preserve the lives of the surviving victims. We would also be thankful for the full investigation of this tragedy,” Zaev added.
>
> There is a 50-metre long stretch of destroyed traffic barrier on the Motorway Struma that was torn by the accident, Pernik mayor Stanislav Vladimirov reported.
>
> The Bulgarian Road Infrastructure agency stated that the motorway is closed from the “Daskalovo” junction to the “Dolna Dikanya” junction. Traffic has been diverted through “Dolna Dikanya” – road III-627 – Radomir, and through road I-6 to “Daskalovo”.
This is absolutely tragic. My heart goes out to the victims and their families.
Is there some explanation about the fire? I don’t see how it can burst in flames just like that.
What a sad day…
Fire is an awful way to go. May they rest in peace.
What an evil nightmare… It’s hard to imagine a worse way to go… I hope the survivors get a lot of support.
Reports indicate all the victims are just stacked in one huge pile of charcoal, died together as they looked for safety from the fire. Burned alive, what an awful way to go.
What I don’t understand is how does it hit the traffic barrier and then just combust like that? It’s like a bonfire. Sounds like a freak accident. Awful.
According to this [link](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/least-45-people-killed-bus-accident-bulgaria-2021-11-23/) the bus was from an area in Macedonia that was prominently Albanian. 45 of the passengers were said to be Albanian.. 😔
It hasn’t even been 6 months since the last [bus](https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/25/at-least-10-dead-and-44-injured-in-bus-crash-in-croatia-after-driver-lost-control) accident where more Albanians had died while passing through Croatia.
Rest In Peace..
Holy shit, how did this happen?
Life can be absurdly cruel. Makes you question why we exist in the first place. I hope the victims find eternal peace.
Truly horrific. https://www.dnevnik.bg/bulgaria/2021/11/23/4284125_avtobus_se_zapali_na_magistrala_struma_ima_zaginali/?ref=home_layer2
🙁
So sad…
[removed]
Condolences for the loss. ;{