A Polish coach carrying a group of pilgrims crashed into a ditch and overturned on a motorway in eastern Hungary, killing at least 12 people, police confirmed Sunday, as reported by Reuters.
The accident took place on the M3 motorway near Mezokeresztes, approximately 140 kilometers east of Budapest, according to police in the district capital of Miskolc.
Emergency services reported that 47 people were injured in the incident, with 10 of those injuries described as serious.
Polish news agency PAP reported the bus had been carrying a group of pilgrims from Podkarpackie province, located in the far southeast of Poland.
The group reportedly numbered 59 people in total, including two drivers, and had been returning from a trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Hungarian police said they believe the driver fell asleep at the wheel during the overnight journey into Sunday, and he was subsequently arrested.
Hungary’s National Directorate for Disaster Management confirmed that several passengers had been trapped under the vehicle after it overturned at the scene.
Fourteen ambulances were deployed to assist those injured in the crash, with rescue workers working to free those who remained trapped beneath the bus.
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar voiced his condolences to the families of the victims in a Facebook message and also extended his thanks to emergency and rescue services.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki said he was deeply shaken by the news, stating: “In the face of this unimaginable tragedy, which affects us all, my thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of the victims.”
The crash highlights the dangers of long overnight coach journeys across Europe, where driver fatigue remains one of the leading contributing factors in serious road accidents.
Authorities in both Hungary and Poland are expected to conduct further investigations into the circumstances surrounding the crash as the full toll of the tragedy becomes clearer.
