BOSNEK (AFP) – In Europe’s deadliest road catastrophe in the last decade, 46 people were killed, including a dozen youngsters, when their tourist bus caught fire on a Bulgarian highway early Tuesday.

The reason has not been identified, but officials suspect the bus collided with the guardrails and caught fire while travelling from Istanbul, Turkey, to Skopje, North Macedonia.

The collision occurred at 2:00 a.m. (0000 GMT) on a roadway about 40 kilometres (26 miles) from Sofia, near the town of Bosnek.

Seven individuals survived, five men and two women.

“Unfortunately, there are many victims, 46 in all, including 12 kids,” North Macedonian Health Minister Venko Filipce said after visiting survivors in a Sofia hospital.

The survivors, including a 16-year-old girl, are all from the same family and are in stable condition, according to officials.

According to authorities, the victims were largely from North Macedonia and from various ethnic groupings, although they also included a Belgian and a Serbian person.

The bus, according to Macedonian media, was registered with the “Besa trans” travel organisation, which organises excursions to Istanbul.

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailA Ukrainian airliner was hijacked in Afghanistan, according to reports. Default ThumbnailPowers want mercenaries out of Libya and want the polling plan to continue. Default ThumbnailThousands of people protest viral restrictions in Vienna, Zurich. Default ThumbnailAccording to forensic data, India attempted to hack the phones of Kashmiri leaders. Default ThumbnailThe US is willing to work with Pakistan to solve climate change challenges: Kerry, John Default ThumbnailAfghan troops who sought shelter in Pakistan were respectfully returned to Afghanistan: ISPR Default ThumbnailIn a terrorist attack on a funeral procession in northern Iraq, at least 15 people were murdered. Default ThumbnailThe Taliban have closed the border with Pakistan and demanded that Afghans be exempt from immigration procedures. Default ThumbnailIndia broke UN Security Council norms by not inviting Pakistan to a discussion on Afghanistan, according to Munir Akram. Default ThumbnailAs a major city falls to the Taliban, the United States and the United Kingdom advise residents to flee Afghanistan. Default ThumbnailAccording to a former US ambassador, Afghanistan is on the verge of civil war. Default ThumbnailOfficials say the Taliban have taken control of Afghanistan’s sixth province capital.