Nov 10, 7:02 PM
Multiple Fatal Pile-Ups Close Motorway in Bulgaria Amid Heavy Fog
At least 12 people have died following early morning collisions on wet and fog-shrouded roads.
Multiple vehicle pile-ups on a Bulgarian motorway amid dense morning fog have resulted in the deaths of at least 12 people and left numerous others injured. The incidents occurred under extremely poor visibility and wet road conditions, prompting emergency services to deploy ambulances across several surrounding administrative districts. Bulgarian authorities confirmed that the affected motorway stretch has been closed to all traffic while clearance operations are underway.
The initial emergency alerts were logged at 07:10 local time, according to Yambol regional governor Georgi Chalakov. Response teams arriving at the scene faced immediate physical obstacles, requiring emergency crews to remove entire sections of the motorway crash barrier to reach drivers and passengers trapped in damaged vehicles. The injured were subsequently transported by road ambulances to hospitals in the Yambol, Sliven, and Burgas regions.
Adverse weather conditions severely constrained the scope of the rescue operation throughout the morning hours. Dense fog made air transport impossible, preventing medical rescue helicopters from taking off or assisting in the emergency response. As a result, ground crews had to handle all medical transports and access routes despite continuing low visibility along the highway corridor.
Road administration director Galin Kostov stated, as reported by the news agency BTA, that vehicles had been traveling at speeds unsuitable for the prevalent weather and wet road conditions. He confirmed that the motorway will remain completely shut down until all involved vehicles and debris are cleared from the surface. Drone footage recorded over the crash site showed wreckage obscured by thick layers of fog hanging over the roadway.
Witnesses at the scene reported chain-reaction crashes and fires breaking out among the collided vehicles. One bystander described running forward to pull a man from a burning vehicle before emergency workers arrived, attributing the initial crash to the exceptionally dense fog. Another motorist noted that four heavy trucks were positioned directly behind his vehicle during the pile-up, describing extensive fatalities along the line of stranded cars.
Written by Sandy van Dongen sandy.vandongen@alpineweekly.com
