Polish Pilgrim Bus Crash Kills 12 in Hungary as Driver Detained Over 1 a.m. Ditching
Updated
Updated · Euronews · Aug 16
Polish Pilgrim Bus Crash Kills 12 in Hungary as Driver Detained Over 1 a.m. Ditching
3 articles · Updated · Euronews · Aug 16
Summary
Twelve people died after a Polish tourist bus carrying 57 passengers and two drivers crashed into a ditch on Hungary's M3 highway near Mezokeresztes, about 140 km from Budapest.
Police said the driver fell asleep at the wheel around 1 a.m.; he was detained after 11 victims were declared dead at the scene and another died in hospital.
Ten people were seriously injured—five critically—while ambulance services said 37 others suffered minor injuries and were taken to hospitals in four cities; the highway was shut for hours.
Poland sent a special flight with medical and consular aid, while Hungarian and Polish leaders offered condolences as the crash appeared to involve pilgrims returning from Serbia to Poland.
The wreck was Hungary's deadliest road accident since a 2003 train-bus collision killed 33 people, and echoed a 2002 crash near Balatonszentgyorgy that killed 19 Polish pilgrims.
Twelve died when a Polish bus plunged into a Hungarian ditch, but what hidden regulatory or mechanical failures truly triggered this midnight disaster?
With a driver in custody, could stricter nighttime transit bans on Hungary's M3 motorway have prevented this tragic 12-fatality bus rollover?