Massive pileup on Bulgaria's Trakia motorway: 10 to 11 dead, dozens injured

What happened

On the morning of November 10, at around 07:00 local time, chain-reaction crashes occurred on the Trakia motorway, which connects Sofia with the Black Sea city of Burgas, near the town of Yambol, in dense fog. According to Bulgaria's Ministry of Internal Affairs, the accidents were recorded at the 289th and 294th kilometers of the highway, between the Zimnitsa and Kabile interchanges — that is, on both of the sections reported by sources. Due to near-zero visibility, vehicles crashed one after another into traffic that had already stopped; one eyewitness estimated visibility at about 30 meters.

Casualties: figures differ

Estimates of the death toll vary across publications. Prime Minister Rumen Radev told journalists: “At this moment the death toll stands at 11 people, and another 48 have been injured.” The Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA), citing Yambol Province Governor Georgi Chalykov, reported at least ten dead — these figures were cited by Life.ru. Estimates of the number of vehicles involved in the collisions also differ: Gazeta.Ru, citing Vesti, spoke of more than 70 passenger and freight vehicles, euronews of more than 50, while the head of the regional administration, according to BTA, spoke of about 50 vehicles, including trucks, passenger cars and a bus.

Rescue operation and the injured

People remained trapped in the damaged vehicles, including tanker trucks, so rescuers had to cut through the metal bodies to reach the victims. Rescuers, firefighters, police officers and ambulance crews worked at the scene; a response headquarters was set up, and the authorities activated the BG-Alert emergency notification system. The injured were taken to hospitals in Yambol, Sliven and Burgas; 11 people were in the Yambol hospital, most in serious condition — seven had multiple (combined) injuries, and three had limb fractures. The Sliven hospital, according to Gazeta.Ru, admitted eight people, one of them — with a traumatic brain injury — in extremely serious condition. The wounded were to be transferred to medical facilities in Sofia: Radev sent a government aircraft to Burgas, and Life.ru also reported on military transport aircraft equipped with stretchers and medical teams. More than 20 servicemen arrived at the scene.

Government response and highway closure

Traffic on the motorway has been closed in both directions, with detour routes introduced. Bulgaria's Road Agency, according to euronews, said the closure would last for some time due to the heavy machinery involved and the investigation. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Alexander Pulev stated: “The state has mobilized all resources to support the victims.” The Cabinet meeting and public events have been canceled; Radev canceled part of the program of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's visit to Varna (he had met with her shortly before the crash), although, according to Life.ru, the talks with the EC chief themselves remained on the schedule. Acting Interior Ministry Secretary General Lyubomir Nikolov, Deputy Interior Minister Kaloyan Kaloyanov and Health Minister Katya Ivkova were sent to the crash site.

Context

euronews notes that, according to the European Commission, in 2025 Bulgaria recorded 71 road deaths per million inhabitants — the highest figure in the EU; Bulgarian roads are called the most dangerous in the Union. In the view of the public, which the outlet cites, this is linked to irresponsible driver behavior, poor road surface conditions and the inefficiency of the judicial system. The circumstances of the November 10 collisions are being established by law enforcement; Bulgaria's Ministry of Internal Affairs intends to present details at a briefing.