A tragic incident unfolded early Sunday in Hungary as a passenger bus veered off a highway, overturned in a ditch, resulting in the loss of 12 lives and injuries to several others. The bus, transporting a group of Polish tourists, met with the accident on the eastbound lanes close to Mezokeresztes, on the M3 motorway approximately 140 kilometers east of Budapest, around 1 a.m.
Authorities reported that the bus driver, suspected of falling asleep at the wheel, has been apprehended. The Hungary National Directorate for Disaster Management revealed that the bus, carrying 57 passengers and two drivers, had multiple passengers trapped underneath after the overturn.
According to a spokesperson from the Polish Foreign Ministry, Maciej Wewiór, all individuals aboard the bus held Polish citizenship. These passengers, hailing from the southeastern Podkarpackie region, were returning from a pilgrimage in Bosnia-Herzegovina, confirmed the regional government in Rzeszow, Poland.
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar, in a Facebook post, mentioned that over 10 individuals sustained severe injuries in the incident. He extended sympathies to the families of the deceased and acknowledged the efforts of the rescue teams deployed to the scene. Polish President Karol Nawrocki also expressed profound grief over the tragedy, offering prayers and heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families and friends.