On the morning of 10 November, two major pile-ups occurred on the Trakia motorway near the town of Yambol in Bulgaria. Dozens of cars and lorries were involved in the collisions; some of the vehicles sustained serious damage, and one of the lorries caught fire. According to the latest reports, at least 10 people have died, whilst a further 27 injured people have been taken to hospital. The cause of the multiple collisions is provisionally believed to be thick fog, which severely reduced visibility on the road. Traffic on the motorway has been closed in both directions.
Briefly about the main points
- Two major pile-ups have occurred on the Trakia motorway in Bulgaria.
- According to the latest figures, at least 10 people have died and 27 injured have been hospitalised.
- Thick fog and a slippery road surface are cited as the probable causes of the road traffic accident.
- Traffic on the motorway has been closed in both directions; rescue operations are ongoing.
Dozens of cars collided on the Trakia motorway
The accidents occurred on Tuesday morning on the stretch of road between the Zimnitsa and Kabile junctions, near Yambol. According to local police, the first multiple-vehicle collision took place at around 07:10 in the direction of Burgas. Shortly afterwards, another pile-up occurred in the opposite carriageway, heading towards Sofia.
According to preliminary estimates by the regional authorities, Around 50 vehicles were involved in the road traffic accident, including cars, minibuses and heavy goods vehicles. Subsequent reports in the local media suggest that the number of vehicles may be higher.
The footage released shows damaged lorries, debris scattered across the road and people standing near the scene of the collision. One of the lorries caught fire.
The death toll has risen to ten
Georgy Chalakov, Governor of the Yambol Region, reported that at least ten people had been killed. According to BTA, 27 injured people were taken to medical facilities in the region.
Ambulance crews, firefighters and the police arrived at the scene. Some people were trapped in their damaged cars, so the rescue teams’ first priority was to free them.
According to Todor Mishinev, a spokesperson for the regional police, the investigation will begin once the rescue operation has been completed.
Thick fog brought traffic on the motorway to a standstill
According to preliminary reports, the accidents occurred in conditions of extremely poor visibility. There was thick fog in the Yambol area, and the road surface was slippery.
Due to the scale of the road traffic accident, the Bulgarian authorities activated the BG-Alert emergency warning system, warning drivers that the motorway had been closed and that they would need to use alternative routes.
Traffic on the Trakia motorway has been halted in both directions near the accident sites. Emergency services are still at the scene, clearing the carriageway and investigating the circumstances of the collisions.
