Dozens die in Bulgaria bus crash

At least 45 people, including a dozen children, were killed overnight in a flaming bus crash in western Bulgaria.

The coach, which was carrying mostly North Macedonian tourists back to Skopje, crashed on a highway, causing the deadly inferno. Seven people were taken to hospital in Sofia with injuries. They are in stable condition.

Bulgarian caretaker Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov said bodies were “clustered inside and are burnt to ash.”

“The picture is terrifying, terrifying. I have never seen anything like that before,” he told reporters at the site, according to Reuters.

North Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said he was “horrified by the tragedy” and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, reported Bulgarian outlet Mediapool. Bulgaria’s interim Prime Minister Stefan Yanev echoed his remarks and asked for lessons to be learned from the disaster.

The cause of the crash is currently unclear, though Bulgarian investigative service chief Borislav Sarafov said potential causes were “human mistake” or “technical malfunction.”