Eleven people have died, and dozens were injured in a mass pileup in thick fog on a motorway in southeastern Bulgaria, whose roads rank as the most dangerous in the EU.
Crashes snared around 50 cars and trucks heading in both directions on the highway linking the capital Sofia to the Black Sea city of Burgas, regional governor Georgi Chalakov on Tuesday told the BTA state news agency.
Images showed overturned and smashed cars and trucks mangled together, as well as burnt-out vehicles, at the scene near the city of Yambol.
Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said a sudden change in weather conditions was the main reason for the pileup. Visibility dropped from around 70-80 metres to approximately 10 metres within a short period.
Ten people died at the scene, while another person died after being admitted to hospital, the health ministry said, revising an earlier statement. In total, 51 people were admitted to hospitals in nearby cities, with 13 critically injured.
National mourning
The government dispatched two aircraft equipped with stretchers and medical teams, while Prime Minister Rumen Radev cancelled his appointments for later Tuesday. The government wants Wednesday to be a day of national mourning, and President Iliana Iotova expressed her condolences.
Bulgaria saw 71 road fatalities per million inhabitants in 2025, the highest rate in the European Union, according to European Commission figures.
Victims blame the high number of traffic deaths on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and an inefficient justice system.
A total of 456 people were killed in road traffic accidents in Bulgaria in 2025, down five percent from the previous year and 27 percent lower than in 2019.
Experts also cite Bulgaria's busy road traffic, its position as a gateway to the EU and the country's ageing vehicle fleet as factors behind the high accident rate.
