Many dead in massive Bulgaria auto pile-up

At least 12 people have died and more than 50 have been hospitalized following major pile-ups on Bulgaria's A1 motorway involving 86 vehicles.

The crashes occurred on Tuesday, near the southeastern city of Yambol, on the road that links the capital Sofia with the eastern city of Burgas.

Dense fog and slippery road conditions are believed to have contributed to the collisions, which took place on both carriageways — 63 vehicles were involved on the Burgas-bound side and 23 on the Sofia-bound side.

Footage broadcast on local media showed wreckage strewn across all six lanes, with vehicles crushed and overturned, and some burned-out.

Healthcare Minister Katya Ivkova confirmed 11 people died at the scene and another died shortly after in hospital.

Reports indicate the pile-up was believed to have started when a bus and a truck collided, triggering a chain reaction involving other trucks and cars. Investigators are looking at whether inappropriate speed was a contributing factor, Reuters reported.

Prime Minister Rumen Radev called the incident a "tragedy" and made government and military aircraft available to transport people with serious injuries.

Nov 11 was declared a day of national mourning following the incident and the motorway remained closed between the Zimnitsa and Kabile junctions as rescue operations and investigations continued.

Georgi Chalakov, the Yambol regional governor, told Bulgarian news agency BTA the first emergency calls came in at 7:10 am local time. Ambulances ferried people to hospitals across three regions — Yambol, Sliven, and Burgas.

Rescue crews had to cut through sections of the central barrier to reach victims, Chalakov said. The same fog that caused the crashes also grounded helicopters, forcing all evacuations to go by road, he added.

A survivor who pulled a man from a burning vehicle blamed "very thick fog" for the crashes, telling Reuters: "I got out of the car, I ran forward and pulled that man out."

A second witness said "many, many people died".

"As for me, there were four cars behind me — trucks — and I don't know how I got out or what happened, but in the end, thank God I'm still alive," that witness said.

The country's prime minister had been hosting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen when news of the crash broke.

Von der Leyen said: "I would like to express my deepest condolences and I would like to pay respects to the rescue teams."

With 71 road deaths in 2025 for every million inhabitants, Bulgaria has the worst record in the European Union, according to European Commission figures. Road safety campaigners attribute the Balkan nation's grim death toll to reckless driving, crumbling infrastructure, and lax law enforcement.