Two chain-reaction accidents on a motorway in Bulgaria: At least 10 people have died; approximately 50 vehicles were involved

At least 10 people died on Tuesday in two pileups on Bulgaria’s Trakia Motorway, in the Yambol region, amid dense fog and reduced visibility. Approximately 50 vehicles were involved, according to regional governor Georgi Tsalakov.

The first emergency call was received at 07:10. Police officers, firefighters, and medical crews were mobilized immediately, while ambulances from the Yambol, Sliven, and Burgas regions responded at the scene of the accidents. Four seriously injured people were transported to a hospital in Yambol, while another eight were taken to a medical facility in Sliven.

Some vehicles overturned or were crushed. Emergency response teams cut sections of the guardrail to reach the victims, but evacuation by helicopter was not possible because of the fog. No vehicles were reported to have caught fire.

Authorities also cited the wet road surface and inappropriate speed as possible factors in the accidents. The motorway will remain closed until all the vehicles involved have been removed. The deputy interior minister and the ministry’s interim secretary-general traveled to the scene.