Hungary Bus Crash Kills Twelve Near Mezokovesd

The bus that overturned overnight on Hungary’s M3 highway had begun the final leg of its journey in Serbia, Hungarian police said, turning a route that carries dozens of buses full of pilgrims and tourists toward central Europe every summer into the scene of Hungary’s deadliest road accident in two decades. Twelve people died, all Polish nationals, and the driver has been detained.

The crash happened on Sunday, August 16, at around 1 a.m. local time, on the lane of the M3 heading toward Nyiregyhaza, just past the Mezokovesd exit, about 140 kilometers east of Budapest. The bus, registered in Poland, ran off a straight stretch of road, ended up in a ditch beside the carriageway and came to rest on its side. There were 57 passengers and two drivers on board, according to Hungarian police, while Tanjug puts the number of passengers at 59.

Eleven people were pronounced dead at the scene, and one more passenger died after being taken to hospital. Hungary’s National Ambulance Service released a summary of the operation:

Twelve people died in the accident. Rescuers treated one person in life-threatening condition, nine seriously injured and 37 with minor injuries.

Fourteen rescue units were dispatched to the scene under the protocol for mass-casualty accidents. Firefighters pulled 35 people out through the windows, while some passengers remained trapped under the overturned vehicle, prompting crews to bring in civilian cranes to lift the 24-tonne bus. Until the cranes arrived, rescuers used a winch to try to raise the rear axle just enough to pull the people underneath it free. The highway section was closed for the investigation and technical rescue work, traffic was rerouted at Mezokovesd, and drivers were able to rejoin the highway at Emod.

What Is Known About the Cause of the Crash?

Hungarian police said the bus driver has been detained and that initial findings point to him having fallen asleep at the wheel.

Initial information indicates the driver most likely fell asleep.

The formal investigation is only just beginning, and police have not put forward any other version of events or said whether other vehicles were involved. It happened on a straight section of highway, with no curve and no intersection, a detail police specifically noted in their description of the crash.

Pilgrims Returning From Medjugorje

The passengers were pilgrims on their way back from Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The carrier is based near Jaslo in southeastern Poland, and the passengers came from the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, where a crisis staff has been set up to pass verified information to families and the media throughout the day. Maciej Wewior, spokesperson for Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told broadcaster TVN24 that everyone on the bus was a Polish national and that seven people in serious condition had been taken to hospitals.

Poland sent an aid vehicle to the scene, and a heated bus was also brought in on site for those affected.

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar was the first to announce the death toll and thanked those who took part in the rescue operation.

I extend my sincere condolences to the families of the victims.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki said he had received the news with deep sorrow, and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski announced that the consular service had been activated.

The consular service is operational. We are in contact with the Hungarian authorities. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will publish verified information.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed the death toll of twelve and thanked the Hungarian authorities for the rescue operation.

Hungary’s Worst Accident Since 2003

The last time a single road accident in Hungary killed more people was in 2003, when a train struck a German tourist bus near Siofok and killed 33. A year earlier, near Balatonszentgyorgy in the west of the country, a crash involving a bus carrying Polish pilgrims killed 19 people.

The parallel with the 2002 crash is a painful one: that bus, too, was carrying Polish pilgrims, and it too happened on a Hungarian road, on the way back home.

The route the bus was traveling runs through Serbia, since buses going from Poland to Medjugorje and back use the corridor linking central Europe with the Adriatic. Hungarian police said that on the final leg of the trip the vehicle had set out from Serbia bound for Poland, carrying passengers who were returning from their pilgrimage.

Hungarian police said they would inform the public of the results of the investigation, while the Podkarpackie Voivodeship crisis staff continues to release verified information about the injured throughout the day.