Bulgaria motorway pile-up: 11 dead in crash of about 90 vehicles

A mass pile-up involving about 90 vehicles occurred on Bulgaria's Trakia motorway. Eleven people died. Bulgaria has declared a day of national mourning for the victims on Wednesday.

How the clean-up is going

A few hours after the crash, crews gradually began removing the wrecked cars, trucks and buses. According to Bulgarian public radio and television, firefighters and recovery services are taking part in the operation, with around 100 special vehicles sent to the scene. Particular attention was paid to a propane-butane tanker wedged between the crushed vehicles: to prevent a fire, firefighters cooled its engine with foam.

Dozens of volunteers from across the country also joined the clean-up. They arrived with their own heavy machinery and helped free of charge.

How many people died

For a time the number of victims remained unclear. According to the Bulgarian Ministry of Health, 12 deaths were initially reported right after the crash, but once the victims were identified and the figures checked, it was confirmed that 11 people had died.

Besides dense fog, the tragedy was apparently caused by a wet road surface and excessive speed. Crashes occurred in both directions near the Zimnitsa and Kabile junctions.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz