Polish bus crash in Hungary leaves 12 dead, 10 injured

A Polish bus crashed on a Hungarian highway early Friday morning, resulting in 12 deaths and 10 serious injuries, according to Prime Minister Peter Magyar and local officials. The coach, carrying 57 passengers and two drivers, was traveling from Serbia to Poland when it overturned near Mezokeresztes, east of Budapest, around 1am local time, as reported by a police statement.

The bus veered off the road, overturned, and came to rest on its side in a ditch. Eleven individuals were pronounced dead at the scene, and one more succumbed to their injuries in a hospital. The remaining 37 passengers sustained minor injuries, with some requiring extrication through the bus windows due to being trapped. Emergency responders, including the fire brigade, had to perform significant rescue efforts to free the trapped individuals.

Two cranes were eventually utilized to lift the bus out of the ditch. Preliminary investigations suggest the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel, according to police reports. This incident marks the worst road accident in Hungary since a train collision with a German tourist bus in 2003, which resulted in 33 fatalities. In 2002, a bus carrying Polish pilgrims crashed near Balatonszentgyorgy, killing 19 people.

Prime Minister Magyar conveyed his condolences to the families of the victims via social media, expressing gratitude to all those involved in the rescue operation. Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski expressed sympathy, confirming the incident as a "tragic bus accident involving Polish tourists" on his X account. The Hungarian consular service has initiated contact with the appropriate authorities, and Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed the death toll at 12.