Bulgaria motorway pileup kills 11, injures dozens

On Tuesday, a devastating motorway pileup in southeastern Bulgaria claimed the lives of eleven individuals and left dozens more injured. The accident occurred on a highway linking the capital Sofia to the Black Sea city of Burgas, where thick fog had caused multiple crashes involving dozens of vehicles. An estimated 50 cars and trucks were involved in the accident near Yambol, according to regional governor Georgi Chalakov.

The toll stands at 11 dead and 48 injured, with Prime Minister Rumen Radev cancelling his official events for the day to attend to the crisis. Injured victims were transported to hospitals in nearby cities, and the government dispatched two aircraft equipped with stretchers and medical teams to assist. Bulgaria has the highest road fatality rate in the European Union, with 71 fatalities per million inhabitants in 2025, according to European Commission figures.

The accident has reignited discussions about the country's reckless driving, poorly maintained roads, and an inefficient justice system. Romanian Foreign Minister Dan Neculaescu expressed his condolences, as did the EU's Antonio Costa, who was deeply saddened by the tragic accident. The EU set a target in 2019 to reduce road deaths and serious injuries by 50 percent by 2030, but Bulgaria and Romania, along with Croatia, remain among the EU's highest fatality rates per million inhabitants.

Bulgaria's status as the EU's poorest member state and its high volume of traffic due to its role as a gateway to the EU are contributing factors to its high accident rate.