Bulgaria declared Wednesday a national day of mourning after two massive pile-ups in dense fog on the Trakia motorway killed at least 12 people and injured about 50 others.
Two crashes minutes apart
The collisions happened early on Tuesday morning near the Zimnitsa junction outside Yambol, in the country’s south-east, on the motorway linking the capital Sofia with the Black Sea port of Burgas. The first emergency call came in at about 7:10am local time.
According to Bulgaria’s Interior Ministry, 63 vehicles were involved in the first pile-up on the Burgas-bound carriageway, while another 23 were caught up in a separate collision on the opposite side heading towards Sofia. The crashes happened at kilometre markers 289 and 294. Early estimates put the number of vehicles at about 50; police later said 86 were involved.
The toll rose through the day
Health Minister Katya Ivkova said 10 victims died at the scene, while two others died while being transported for medical treatment. The number of injured was reported as about 50, with about 50 people taken to hospital.
Interior Ministry Secretary-General Lyubomir Nikolov said a grain truck blocked a passenger bus, triggering the first chain crash, and that poor visibility in thick fog was likely a factor, along with a wet road surface and speeds unsuitable for the conditions. Police put visibility at 70 to 80 metres.
Investigations under way
Bulgarian authorities opened two pre-trial investigations because the collisions occurred on opposite carriageways, and a partial state of emergency was declared in three municipalities in the Yambol region. Prime Minister Rumen Radev dispatched government aircraft to help move the injured and called the event “a dark day for the whole of Bulgaria”.
Bulgaria recorded 71 road fatalities per million inhabitants in 2025, the highest rate in the European Union, according to European Commission figures.
