A tragic incident occurred in Hungary early Sunday when a passenger bus carrying Polish tourists veered off the road and overturned in a ditch, resulting in the death of 12 individuals and injuries to several others. The bus was traveling on the eastbound lanes near Mezokeresztes on the M3 motorway, approximately 140 kilometers east of Budapest, around 1 a.m.
According to authorities, the bus driver is suspected to have fallen asleep, leading to the accident, and has been taken into custody. The Hungarian National Directorate for Disaster Management reported that the bus, with 57 passengers and two drivers on board, overturned, trapping several passengers underneath it.
All passengers on the bus were of Polish citizenship, as confirmed by Polish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maciej Wewiór. The passengers were returning from a pilgrimage in Bosnia-Herzegovina, as announced by the regional government in Rzeszow, Poland.
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar, in a statement on Facebook, stated that at least 10 individuals sustained serious injuries. He extended condolences to the victims’ families and expressed gratitude to the rescue teams at the site. Polish President Karol Nawrocki also shared his deep sorrow over the incident and offered prayers and sympathy to the families and friends of the victims.