Twelve people died and more than a dozen were injured, with 7 remaining in very serious condition, in a Polish pilgrims' bus crash in Hungary. The accident occurred around 1:00 a.m. on Sunday on the M3 motorway, when on a straight section of road the bus suddenly overturned and rolled into a ditch.
Initial findings indicate that the most likely cause was falling asleep behind the wheel - and the driver has been detained. The exact circumstances of the tragedy are still being investigated, though.
The bus was carrying people from Poland's southeastern Podkarpacie region, returning from a pilgrimage to Bosnia and Herzegovina - the region's local government head Teresa Kubas-Hul announced. 57 passengers and two drivers were on board at the time of the crash.
According to Hungarian media, several fire brigades and more than a dozen ambulances participated in the rescue operation. Passengers were pulled out through the windows because the doors were jammed. Several passengers were trapped under the vehicle. Cranes were needed to lift the 24-ton vehicle out of the ditch and onto its wheels.
Hungarian media reported that 11 people died at the scene, and one succumbed to injuries in hospital. The wounded were transported to local medical facilities, including one in Eger.
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar was the first to report the accident in a Facebook post. "My sincere condolences to the families of the victims. I am grateful to those who participated in the rescue," he wrote.
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Source: PAP, IAR