Key facts
- A bus carrying Polish pilgrims overturned on Hungary's M3 motorway.
- Twelve people died in the crash.
- The bus was returning from a pilgrimage to Međugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- The driver survived and is in custody.
A bus carrying Polish pilgrims overturned on a Hungarian motorway, resulting in 12 fatalities and multiple injuries. The cause is under investigation, with early reports suggesting driver fatigue.
The incident highlights the risks associated with long-distance travel for religious pilgrimages and underscores the importance of road safety regulations and driver vigilance, particularly for vulnerable groups like pilgrims.
Twelve people died and dozens were injured when a bus carrying Polish pilgrims overturned on the M3 motorway in Hungary early Tuesday. The bus was returning from a pilgrimage to Međugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina when it veered off the road and into a ditch near the town of Mezőkeresztes.
Local police stated the bus "went off the straight road into a ditch and overturned" at 1 a.m. local time. Early reports suggest the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel. The driver survived the crash and has been taken into custody. The bus was carrying 57 passengers and two drivers from Poland's south-eastern Podkarpackie region.
Poland's foreign ministry reported that nearly all passengers were transferred to hospitals in Eger, Debrecen, and Miskolc. Ten individuals are in serious condition, while the Hungarian ambulance service reported 37 passengers sustained minor injuries.
Leaders from both Poland and Hungary expressed their condolences. Polish President Karol Nawrocki conveyed his sorrow, joining in prayer with the victims' families. Hungary's Prime Minister Péter Magyar offered his sincere condolences and thanked the emergency services. Poland's infrastructure minister announced that enhanced checks on buses and driver working hours would be conducted.
The owner of the bus company stated the vehicle was operated by two experienced drivers. A group of Polish prosecutors from Krosno will lead the investigation into the incident. Međugorje is a popular pilgrimage site for Polish Catholics. This incident follows a similar fatal bus crash involving Polish pilgrims in Croatia in 2022 and another in Hungary in 2002.