At least 12 people killed in motorway crash in southeastern Bulgaria

Thick fog on a motorway has caused a string of vehicles to crash into one another, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more in eastern Bulgaria, a government minister says. The crashes happened on Tuesday near Yambol on the route linking the capital, Sofia, with the Black Sea port of Burgas, forcing the closure of the road in both directions. The Yambol region’s governor, Georgi Chalakov, said an estimated 50 cars and trucks were involved in the accidents, the BTA state news agency reported.

Prime Minister Rumen Radev was meeting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is on a visit to Bulgaria, and cancelled his official events scheduled for later on Tuesday. He described the accident as a “tragedy”. The injured were transported to hospitals in nearby cities while the government dispatched two aircraft equipped with stretchers and medical teams.

In 2025, Bulgaria recorded 71 road fatalities per million inhabitants, the highest rate in the EU, according to European Commission figures.