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At least 12 Polish tourists were killed when a packed tourist bus crashed into a ditch on Hungary’s M3 motorway near Mezokeresztes around 1am local time today. Ten other passengers were taken to hospital with injuries following the incident.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing, with initial reports suggesting the driver may have fallen asleep. Poland’s minister of foreign affairs stated that the consular service is in contact with Hungarian authorities and has set up a hotline for concerned relatives.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki expressed his sorrow over the tragedy, stating, “It is with deep sorrow that I received the tragic news of the Polish bus accident in Hungary.” In response, Poland’s minister of foreign affairs, Radoslaw Sikorski, confirmed that the consular service is actively engaging with Hungarian authorities and set up a hotline for concerned relatives.
What remains unclear — Authorities have not confirmed whether the driver was under the influence of any substances at the time of the crash.
Twelve people killed in tourist bus crash on M3 motorway in Hungary
At least 12 people were killed after a packed tourist bus crashed into a ditch in Hungary.
The fatal collision happened at about 1am local time today when the bus travelling on Hungary’s M3 motorway veered into the ditch.
The bus, carrying dozens of Polish holidaymakers, was near the town of Mezokeresztes, around 90 miles east of Budapest, when the tragedy struck.
Twelve people were killed, while 10 others have been taken to hospital with injuries.
The bus, carrying 57 passengers and a driver, was on its way to the city of Nyiregyhaza when it crashed in Hungary (Picture: Zoltan Mathe/MTI via AP)
Footage from the scene shows the badly damaged bus on its side in the ditch (Picture: Zoltan Mathe/MTI via AP)
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The bus was carrying 57 passengers and a driver en route to Nyiregyhaza when it tipped.
Footage from the scene shows the mangled wreckage lying in a ditch with suitcases scattered on the verge.
The driver is suspected of having fallen asleep, according to a police online statement.
The bus was lifted from the ditch today following the fatal collision (Picture: Zoltan Mathe/MTI via AP)
Polish President Karol Nawrocki said on X: ‘It is with deep sorrow that I received the tragic news of the Polish bus accident in Hungary, in which so many of our compatriots died.’
Poland’s minister of foreign affairs, Radoslaw Sikorski, confirmed the ‘tragic bus accident involving Polish tourists in Hungary’ on X.
He said: ‘The consular service is acting. We are in contact with the Hungarian authorities.’
The embassy has launched a hotline for concerned relatives, he said.
The accident is one of Hungary’s deadliest road incidents.
In 2017, a coach carrying Hungarian high school students aged 14 to 18 crashed and caught on fire in Verona, Italy, as they returned from a ski trip.
Sixteen people were killed and dozens were left with life-threatening injuries in crash, while some bodies were burned beyond recognition.
Hungary has been ranked 7th out of 27 EU countries for the highest number of road fatalities per million inhabitants.
Fatal crashes involving buses or coaches are relatively rare, however, with 17 bus passengers killed in collisions in 2021 compared to 267 car occupants, according to the latest available European Commission figures.
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