World

Bulgaria mourns 12 dead in fog pile-up on Trakia motorway

Yambol, Bulgaria • November 11, 2026 • By Press Pass USA

Wrecked cars and trucks piled across a fog-covered motorway as emergency crews work at the scene

Illustration: Press Pass USA — generated image of the fog pile-up scene

Bulgaria observed a national day of mourning on Wednesday after 12 people were killed and about 50 injured in two chain-reaction pile-ups involving 86 vehicles on the Trakia motorway, in one of the worst road disasters in the country's recent history.

The crashes happened at about 7:10 a.m. local time on Tuesday on the motorway near Zimnitsa, in the Yambol region of southeastern Bulgaria. Dense fog cut visibility suddenly — from 70 to 80 meters down to around 10 meters, officials said — on the wet road linking the capital, Sofia, with the Black Sea port of Burgas.

A grain truck blocked the path of a passenger bus, triggering the first chain crash on the carriageway toward Burgas, according to Lyubomir Nikolov, chief secretary of the Interior Ministry. Sixty-three vehicles piled up on that side. A second pile-up followed on the opposite carriageway, toward Sofia, involving 23 more vehicles, after drivers were distracted by the wreckage across the central reservation.

Health Minister Katya Ivkova said 11 people died at the scene and one more later died in a hospital. The injured were taken to hospitals in Yambol, Sliven and Burgas, and a blood donation campaign was launched across the country.

Prime Minister Rumen Radev called Tuesday "a dark day for the whole of Bulgaria" and declared Wednesday a national day of mourning. Radev, who had been hosting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, cut short a joint news conference and visited the scene. European Union flags flew at half-mast across the bloc on Wednesday in solidarity.

Prosecutors are continuing a criminal inquiry into the disaster. Investigators have detained a Romanian truck driver whose vehicle allegedly made a sudden stop in the heavy fog, triggering the pile-ups, and have interviewed 44 witnesses. Emergency crews cleared the wreckage overnight to restore traffic flow, while medical teams continue treating victims, including a second Romanian citizen reported in serious condition.

The tragedy has renewed debate about road safety in Bulgaria, which recorded the highest rate of road deaths in the European Union in 2025 — 71 fatalities per million inhabitants, with 456 people killed on Bulgarian roads that year.

Sources: BBC News, "Twelve dead in Bulgaria motorway pile-ups caused by fog" (Nov. 10, 2026, as reported by Radio Bulgaria); Radio Bulgaria, "International media cover tragedy on Trakia motorway" (Nov. 11, 2026); Bytes Europe, "Bulgaria Declares Mourning Over Deadly Motorway Pile-Up" (Nov. 10, 2026); Nexus Europa, "Bulgarian prosecutors advance inquiry into deadly Trakia highway pileups" (Nov. 11, 2026).