On a November morning, a wall of fog settled over a stretch of Bulgaria's Trakia motorway near Zimnitsa and turned an ordinary commute into a catastrophe. What began as one collision drew in dozens of vehicles, and then a second pile-up followed, leaving twelve people dead and some fifty injured. It is the kind of tragedy that reminds a nation how quickly the familiar road can become a trap when the air itself disappears, and how much grief a single morning can gather into one place.
Twelve dead as fog triggers two pile-ups involving more than 70 vehicles on Bulgaria's Trakia motorway
Twelve people were killed, including 11 at the scene, and about 50 others were injured and taken to hospitals in the Yambol, Sliven and Burgas regions.
Rescuers had to remove sections of the crash barrier to reach people
Mark
Twelve dead, more than 70 vehicles. What's the basic picture of what happened?
Mimi
Dense fog on the Trakia motorway near Zimnitsa. A first pile-up on the eastbound side, then a second on the Sofia-bound side. Reports came in at 7:10 in the morning.
Mark
Why was the rescue so hard?
Mimi
Helicopters couldn't fly in the fog, and rescuers had to remove sections of the crash barrier to get to people. One witness pulled a man out of a burning vehicle.
Luke
Let me separate what's firm from what's attributed. The death toll comes from the prime minister and health minister. The 70-plus vehicles figure is from a regional governor.
Mimi
Right, and the causes are officials' assessments too. The fog is called the likely cause of the first crash.
Luke
And the second crash being down to fog plus distraction is one official's account relayed by BTA. Nothing formal yet.
Mark
What about speed?
Mimi
The road administration director said speeds were unsuitable for the conditions, including wet roads.
Luke
That's a statement of general judgment. We don't have measured speeds or an investigation's findings.
Mark
And what's next?
Mimi
Wednesday is a day of national mourning, and the motorway stays closed until it's cleared.
Luke
Also unknown: how many of the 50 injured are in serious condition. The reporting doesn't say.
El Pulso
- Dense fog swallowed visibility on the Trakia motorway, and a first crash was quickly overtaken by a second pile-up involving more than 70 vehicles.
- Rescuers, unable to rely on helicopters grounded by the weather, cut through crash barrier sections with their own hands to reach people trapped in the wreckage.
- Officials point to excessive speed on wet, foggy roads, while a survivor recalls the terror of running forward to drag a stranger from a burning vehicle.
- The motorway linking Sofia to the Black Sea stays closed until the wreckage is cleared, and the nation prepares to mourn on Wednesday as investigators weigh fog, speed and distraction.
On a November morning, a wall of fog settled over a stretch of Bulgaria's Trakia motorway near Zimnitsa and turned an ordinary commute into a catastrophe. What began as one collision drew in dozens of vehicles, and then a second pile-up followed, leaving twelve people dead and some fifty injured. It is the kind of tragedy that reminds a nation how quickly the familiar road can become a trap when the air itself disappears, and how much grief a single morning can gather into one place.
The first call reached emergency services at 7:10 on Tuesday morning, from the Trakia motorway near the town of Zimnitsa. Dense fog had settled over the eastbound carriageway, and dozens of cars and lorries had piled into one another before drivers could react.
By evening, Prime Minister Rumen Radev confirmed twelve dead, eleven at the scene and one more who died later in hospital. About fifty others had been taken to hospitals in the Yambol, Sliven and Burgas regions. More than seventy vehicles were involved across two crashes. Radev cut short a news conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and went straight to the site, and he has declared Wednesday a national day of mourning.
A second collision followed on the Sofia-bound side, likely caused by the same fog and worsened by drivers distracted by the first crash. The road administration's director, Galin Kostov, said speeds were unsuitable for the conditions, with wet surfaces adding to the danger.
Rescue was slowed by the same weather. Teams cut sections of crash barrier to reach those trapped, since helicopters could not fly. Witnesses told Reuters of stopping to pull a man from a burning car, and of a driver who had four vehicles, trucks among them, behind him and no clear memory of how he escaped. He was simply thankful to be alive.
The motorway, which links the capital with the Black Sea coast, will remain closed until the wreckage is cleared. Investigators now face the harder work of explaining how so many vehicles were caught in so little time.
The first reports reached emergency services at 7:10 on Tuesday morning local time, 05:10 GMT, from the Trakia motorway in south-eastern Bulgaria, near the town of Zimnitsa. Dense fog had settled over the road, and on the eastbound carriageway dozens of cars and lorries had piled into one another.
By the end of the day, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said twelve people were dead. Health Minister Katya Ivkova put the toll at eleven killed at the scene and one more who died later in hospital. About 50 others were taken to hospital with injuries. Sliven regional governor Mihail Kasherov told journalists that more than 70 vehicles were involved across two separate crashes, according to the state news agency BTA.
Officials pointed to the fog as the likely cause of the first collision. A second crash followed on the Sofia-bound carriageway. According to an official cited by BTA, it was probably also caused by the fog, with drivers additionally distracted by the first crash. Galin Kostov, director of the road administration, said speeds were unsuitable for the conditions, which also included wet road surfaces.
The rescue was hampered by the same weather. Yambol regional governor Georgi Chalakov told BTA that teams had to remove sections of the crash barrier to reach people trapped in the wreckage. The fog also grounded helicopters, so they could not be used for the evacuation. The injured were taken by ambulance to hospitals in the Yambol, Sliven and Burgas regions.
Witnesses described the scene to Reuters. One man who helped pull another from a burning vehicle blamed "very thick fog" for the pile-up. "I got out of the car, I ran forward and pulled that man out," he said. Another told the agency that "many, many people died", and recalled that four vehicles, trucks among them, had been behind his own. He said he did not know how he got out, but was thankful to be alive.
Radev had been hosting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen when word of the crashes came. He cut short a news conference and went to the scene. He has declared Wednesday a day of national mourning.
The Trakia motorway runs west to east across Bulgaria, connecting the capital, Sofia, with the Black Sea coast. Kostov said it would stay closed until the wreckage had been cleared. What remains to be seen is how the investigation weighs the fog, the speeds and the second crash in explaining how so many vehicles were caught.
Citas Notables
I got out of the car, I ran forward and pulled that man out.— Witness speaking to Reuters
Speeds were unsuitable for the conditions.— Galin Kostov, road administration director (paraphrased)
Quieres la nota completa?
Lee el original en BBC News ↗
Politics & Governance