2021 Bulgaria bus crash

According to European Commission data, in 2019, Bulgaria had the second highest road fatality rate in the EU. After the crash, the mayor of the nearby town of Pernik told local media outlets that the motorway was in poor condition and accidents were frequent in the area.{{Cite web |date=23 November 2021 |title=Bus crashes, catches fire in Bulgaria; at least 45 dead |url=https://apnews.com/article/europe-bulgaria-e0734d9ca70b3ca8eb16af5a6316dc60 |access-date=23 November 2021 |website=AP NEWS |language=en |archive-date=23 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123061810/https://apnews.com/article/europe-bulgaria-e0734d9ca70b3ca8eb16af5a6316dc60 |url-status=live}}

File:Struma highway heading north close to Sofia 20090407 006.JPG. The crash site is at the base of the furthest terraced hill.|alt=Taken in 7 April 2009]]

A bus carrying Macedonian tourists returning to the capital Skopje from a weekend holiday trip from Istanbul, registered under the tourist agency "Besa Trans",{{cite news |date=2021-11-23 |title=Fire guts bus carrying young people in Bulgaria, killing at least 45 |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/fire-guts-bus-carrying-young-people-in-bulgaria-killing-at-least-45/ar-AAR1DHm |url-status=live |language=en |location=Sofia |publisher=CBS News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124002334/https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/fire-guts-bus-carrying-young-people-in-bulgaria-killing-at-least-45/ar-AAR1DHm |archive-date=2021-11-24 |access-date=2021-12-06 |via=MSN}} crashed on a motorway near the Bulgarian village of Bosnek around 02:00 local time. The vehicle hit a highway barrier either before or after it caught fire. A passenger later told reporters that he had been asleep and was woken by an explosion.{{Cite web|date=2021-11-23|title=Bus crash in Bulgaria kills at least 45 people|url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/bus-crash-bulgaria-kills-45-people|access-date=2021-11-24|website=Associated Press|language=en-US}}

The Bulgarian Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov stated that victims' bodies were "clustered inside and are burnt to ash". According to Bulgaria's Deputy Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov, the passengers were trapped inside the vehicle after it caught fire and died "mainly of suffocation."{{cite web |title=Human error likely caused Bulgaria's deadly bus crash, say investigators |url=https://www.euronews.com/2021/11/25/human-error-likely-caused-bulgaria-s-deadly-bus-crash-say-investigators |website=Euronews|date=26 November 2021|access-date=28 November 2021}} Seven passengers (five males and two females) managed to escape through windows with serious burns. All seven were hospitalised and later reported to be in stable condition.

The majority of the victims were Macedonian Albanians.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59383852 |title=Bulgaria bus crash: Children among the 46 that were killed |work=BBC |date=23 November 2021 |access-date=23 November 2021 |archive-date=23 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123054623/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59383852 |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |title=At least 45 people killed in bus accident in Bulgaria |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/23/at-least-45-people-killed-in-bus-accident-in-bulgaria |access-date=23 November 2021 |website=www.aljazeera.com |language=en |archive-date=23 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123082259/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/23/at-least-45-people-killed-in-bus-accident-in-bulgaria |url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=https://kurir.mk/makedonija/vesti/otkrien-identitetot-na-patnicite-vo-avtobuskata-nesrekja-vo-bugarija/ |title=Откриен идентитетот на патниците во автобуската несреќа во Бугарија |date=23 November 2021 |access-date=23 November 2021 |archive-date=23 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123094106/https://kurir.mk/makedonija/vesti/otkrien-identitetot-na-patnicite-vo-avtobuskata-nesrekja-vo-bugarija/ |url-status=live}} Forty-four people were confirmed dead during the immediate aftermath of the crash,{{cite web |title=Chief of Bulgaria's National Investigation Service Sarafov: 44 people died in Nov. 23 bus crash |url=https://nova.bg/news/view/2021/11/25/347859/chief-of-bulgarias-national-investigation-service-sarafov-44-people-died-in-nov-23-bus-crash/ |website=Nova TV |access-date=25 November 2021}} but after an additional search on 26 November, the body of a child was recovered, bringing the death toll to forty-five.{{cite web |title=One More Body Found In Bulgaria Bus Crash|author=AFP-Agence France Presse|url=https://www.barrons.com/news/one-more-body-found-in-bulgaria-bus-crash-01637933408?refsec=afp-news |website=Barron's |access-date=26 November 2021}}

Bulgarian caretaker Prime Minister Stefan Yanev described the crash as a tragedy, saying "[l]et's hope we learn lessons from this tragic incident and we can prevent such incidents in the future." The government declared Wednesday a National Day of Mourning for both victims of the crash and for the earlier deaths from a fire at a nursing home in Royak. Numerous politicians from various countries expressed their dismay at the loss of life.{{Cite web |last=Gigova |first=Radina|agency=Reuters |title=12 children among 45 people killed in Bulgaria bus fire |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/23/europe/bulgaria-bus-fire-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=23 November 2021 |website=CNN|date=23 November 2021 }}{{Cite news |last1=Tsolova |first1=Tsvetelia |last2=Sekularac |first2=Ivana |date=23 November 2021 |title=Bus carrying North Macedonian tourists crashes in flames in Bulgaria, killing 45 |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/least-45-people-killed-bus-accident-bulgaria-2021-11-23/ |access-date=24 November 2021}}

The Macedonian government declared three national days of mourning for the bus crash.{{cite news |date=23 November 2021 |title=N. Macedonia declares 3 days of mourning after accident that took lives of 46 |work=Euronews Albania |url=https://euronews.al/en/north-macedonia/2021/11/23/n-macedonia-declares-3-days-of-mourning-after-accident-that-took-lives-of-46/ |access-date=24 November 2021 |archive-date=24 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124004223/https://euronews.al/en/north-macedonia/2021/11/23/n-macedonia-declares-3-days-of-mourning-after-accident-that-took-lives-of-46/ |url-status=dead }} Officials stated that the most likely cause of the bus crash was due to human error.{{Cite web|title=Official: Human error likeliest cause of Bulgaria bus crash|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/official-human-error-likeliest-bulgaria-bus-crash-81394767|access-date=2021-11-29|website=ABC News|language=en}} On March 2024, the owner of the company "Besa Trans" in North Macedonia was given a prison sentence of a year and eight months, a fine of 800,000 denars (13,000 EUR) and a four-year ban for international transport due to document falsification.{{cite web |title=Besa Trans owner sentenced for document falsification in fatal bus accident case |url=https://mia.mk/en/story/besa-trans-owner-sentenced-for-document-falsification-in-fatal-bus-accident-case |website=MIA |date=7 March 2024}} On 8 January 2025, the Pernik District Court ruled that the Road Infrastructure Agency bears partial blame for the crash.{{cite web |title=Road Infrastructure Agency Bears Partial Blame for Deadly Skopje-bound Bus Crash on Struma Motorway in 2021, Pernik District Court Rules |url=https://www.bta.bg/en/news/balkans/811476-road-infrastructure-agency-bears-partial-blame-for-deadly-skopje-bound-bus-crash |website=Bulgarian News Agency |date=8 January 2025}}

• 2009 Yambol bus crash
• Road safety in Europe

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Category:2021 fires in Europe

Category:2021 in North Macedonia

Category:2021 road incidents in Europe

2021 crash

2021 bus crash

Category:History of Pernik Province

Category:November 2021 in Bulgaria

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Category:2021 disasters in Bulgaria

Category:Bus fires