SOFIA: Eleven people died and dozens were injured on Tuesday in a mass pile-up on a motorway in southeastern Bulgaria, whose roads rank as the most dangerous in the EU. Crashes in thick fog snared dozens of vehicles heading in both directions of the highway linking the capital Sofia to the Black Sea city of Burgas. An estimated 50 cars and trucks were involved in the accident near the city of Yambol, regional governor Georgi Chalakov told the BTA state news agency, as government officials rushed to the scene. Images showed overturned and smashed cars and trucks mangled together, as well as burnt-out vehicles.
"The toll at this point is 11 dead and 48 injured," Prime Minister Rumen Radev told reporters. Radev was meeting EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, who is on a visit to Bulgaria, but the prime minister cancelled his official events scheduled for later on Tuesday. The injured were transported to hospitals in nearby cities. The government dispatched two aircraft equipped with stretchers and medical teams.
Romanian Foreign Minister Dan Neculaescu said one Romanian was among the injured and expressed "deepest condolences" to the victims and their families in a post on X. European Council chief Antonio Costa also said on X he was "deeply saddened to learn of the tragic traffic accident in Bulgaria this morning". — AFP
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