2009 Yambol bus crash
{{Short description|Bus crash}}
{{Infobox public transit accident
| name = Yambol bus crash
Автобусна катастрофа край Ямбол
| image = File:Yambol location in Bulgaria.png
| image_size =
| image_alt =
| caption = Location of Yambol in Bulgaria
| image_map =
| image_map_alt =
| image_map_caption =
| pushpin_map =
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption =
| coordinates =
| date = 28 May 2009
| time =
| location = Road to Bakadzhik peak near Yambol, Bulgaria
| location_dir =
| location_city =
| location_dist_km =
| location_dist_mi =
| country =
| line =
| operator =
| owner =
| service =
| type =
| cause =
| bus =
| trains =
| vehicles =
| passengers =
| crew =
| pedestrians =
| damage =
| property =
| footnotes =
}}
The 2009 Yambol bus crash occurred on 28 May 2009 near the city of Yambol in southeastern Bulgaria. Eighteen people died, and around twenty were injured.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8071654.stm Bulgaria bus crash leaves 16 dead (BBC)] The driver was among the wounded, and died in prison during his ten-year sentence.
Crash
The victims had been walking up the Bakadzhik peak to attend a traditional Ascension Day (Spasovden) feast and fair held on the summit. Around 9:15 AM local time the bus, a Chavdar 11M4 operated by the Yambol transport company MCI Slavi Slavov, crashed into them while descending from the Alexander Nevsky Memorial Church located at the summit
The bus had been declared roadworthy on 12 May. The driver, 60-year-old Gospodin Gospodinov, was legally sober.{{Cite web |last=Панайотова |first=Диляна |date=2009-05-28 |title=Шофьорът на автобуса в стрес, не може да говори |url=https://news.bg/society/shofyorat-na-avtobusa-v-stres-ne-mozhe-da-govori.html |access-date=2023-10-07 |website=News.bg |language=bulgarian}} He was seriously injured and treated at Pirogov Hospital in Sofia.{{cite news|url=http://news.ibox.bg/news/id_1784868205|title= Трагедия край Ямбол|date=2009-05-28|publisher=News.bg|language=Bulgarian|accessdate=2009-05-28}}
Most of the victims were over 60 years old, as well as one 16-year-old boy. Thirteen dead were women and five were men, all were from Yambol or nearby villages. Twenty people were injured, four initially in critical condition due to head trauma.
Reaction
29 May was declared a national day of mourning in Bulgaria. Political parties paused their European Parliament election campaigns for the next few days.{{cite news|url=http://news.ibox.bg/news/id_1001477367|title= 29 май — Ден на национален траур|last=Иванова|first=Ива|date=2009-05-28|publisher=News.bg|language=Bulgarian|accessdate=2009-05-28}} The National Assembly of Bulgaria observed a minute of silence as the news broke out. President Georgi Parvanov and Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev changed their schedules and visited the scene of the accident.[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/28/ap/world/main5045372.shtml Bulgaria Bus Crash Kills at Least 16 (CBS News)]{{dead link|date=August 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
Investigation
Post-crash inspection revealed that the bus had numerous technical deficiencies. Its brakes provided only 23% brake force; nails, wire, and a coin were found to have been used to carry out repairs on the bus.[https://frognews.bg/novini/moneta-5-stotinki-pogubila-18-dushi-bakadjika.html Монета от 5 стотинки погубила 18 души на Бакаджика (Frog News)]
In 2012, bus driver Gospodin Gospodinov and bus owner Slavi Slavov were each sentenced to ten years in prison. Gospodinov died in prison a few months later, while Slavov absconded until his January 2018 capture. The workshop that declared the bus roadworthy did not face any legal consequences.[https://dnes.dir.bg/obshtestvo/katastrofa-avtobus-bakajika-slav-slavov-25826094 8 г. след драмата на Бакаджика - един беглец и един мъртвец (dir.bg)]
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://stirileprotv.ro/video/un-autocar-ramas-fara-frane-a-omorat-16-oameni-in-bulgaria/60298599 Video PRO TV (Romanian)]
- [https://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=42.45413,26.644378&spn=0.00904,0.016565&t=h&z=16 Location of the accident on Google Maps]
- {{Cite web |title=It is Certain: Human Error caused the Struma Highway Crash of the Burned Bus with 45 Victims - Novinite.com - Sofia News Agency |url=https://www.novinite.com/articles/213639/It+is+Certain%3A+Human+Error+caused+the+Struma+Highway+Crash+of+the+Burned+Bus+with+45+Victims |website=www.novinite.com}}
- {{Cite web |date=2018-08-26 |title=Investigations continue into Bulgaria’s worst bus crash in nine years |url=https://sofiaglobe.com/2018/08/26/investigations-continue-into-bulgarias-worst-bus-crash-in-nine-years/ |website=The Sofia Globe}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yambol Bus Crash, 2009}}
Category:2000s road incidents in Europe