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Bulgaria Motorway Crash Kills 12, Injures Dozens
· Confirmed
In Short: At least 12 people were killed and dozens injured in a series of crashes on a motorway in southeastern Bulgaria caused by thick fog.
Deadly motorway pileup in Bulgaria: 12 killed, dozens injured. Kanal13
Thick fog on Tuesday morning led to two major pile-ups on the Trakia motorway near Yambol, Bulgaria, resulting in the deaths of at least 12 people and injuries to dozens more.
The crashes involved 86 vehicles, including many heavy trucks, and occurred on opposite carriageways at around 7 a.m.
Bulgaria's road fatalities per million inhabitants in 2025 were the highest in the EU, with 71 deaths per million people.
The motorway linking Sofia with the Black Sea port of Burgas was closed in both directions due to the severity of the crashes.
The fog caused the first crash on the eastbound carriageway, involving a lorry and a bus, and a second crash on the Sofia-bound carriageway.
What this adds
The exact number of vehicles involved varies slightly between reports, but all agree that thick fog and poor visibility were the primary causes of the crashes.
The crashes underscore the ongoing challenges in improving road safety in Bulgaria, despite efforts to reduce fatalities.
What's confirmed
- In 2025, Bulgaria recorded 71 road fatalities per million inhabitants, the highest rate in the EU, according to European Commission figures.
- Thick fog on a motorway has caused a string of vehicles to crash into one another, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more in eastern Bulgaria, a government minister says.
- SOFIA: Thick fog on a motorway in eastern Bulgaria caused two major crashes that killed at least 12 people and injured dozens on Tuesday, a government minister said.
- Burnt out and crushed vehicles were strew across the motorway in the aftermath of the crash At least 11 people have been killed after dozens of cars and lorries were involved in two pile-ups on the Trakia motorway in south-eastern Bulgaria.
- Officials have said dense fog reduced visibility and was the likely cause of the first crash, which occurred on the eastbound carriageway.
- Road administration director Galin Kostov added that speeds were unsuitable for the conditions, which included wet road surfaces, and the motorway would remain closed until it had been cleared, BTA reported.
- A vehicle crash caused by dense fog on a motorway near Yambol, Bulgaria, on Tuesday, Nov.
- In 2023, Bulgaria's parliament adopted stricter penalties for anyone found to be driving under the influence of drugs.
- The report said that just five of the EU's 27 countries — including Bulgaria— were on track to meet the target.
- Regional Gov. Mihail Kasherov told reporters at the site of the mass crash that the scene defied description and he had never seen anything like it.
- Some 86 vehicles, many of them heavy trucks, were involved in the crashes, which occurred on opposite carriageways in the same place at 7 a.m.
- Dense fog on the motorway linking the capital Sofia with the Black Sea port of Burgas led to two pileups.
What's still developing
- Motorways in southeastern Bulgaria are ranked among the most dangerous in the European Union.
- The injured were transported to hospitals in nearby cities.
- Bulgaria Prime Minister Rumen Radev - who had been hosting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen - cut short a news conference following the news.
- The Trakia motorway runs from west-to-east of Bulgaria, and cuts through the capital Sofia.
- A shower or two around the area early, then partly cloudy during the afternoon.
- Both outlets noted that the incident involved dense fog, leading to a string of vehicles crashing into one another.
- While the exact number of vehicles involved varies slightly between reports, all outlets agree that the crashes were caused by thick fog and poor visibility, resulting in a tragic loss of life and injuries.
- He said rescue teams had to remove sections of the crash barrier to reach people, and the fog meant helicopters could not be used in the evacuation efforts.
Sources
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- Kanal13 — video link
- ABC News — video link
- Reuters — video link
- I.A.N Network — video link
- The Daily Guardian — video link