BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — A passenger bus traveling on a highway in Hungary early Sunday went off the road and into a ditch, resulting in 12 deaths and injuring at least 10 others, according to police reports. The bus, carrying a group of Polish tourists, was traveling eastbound near the town of Mezokeresztes when it overturned on the M3 motorway around 1 a.m. on Sunday.
Police indicated that the driver likely fell asleep, leading to the accident, and the driver has been taken into custody. Hungary’s National Directorate for Disaster Management reported that 57 passengers and two drivers were on the bus at the time, with several passengers trapped under the vehicle after it overturned.
Maciej Wewiór, a spokesperson for the Polish Foreign Ministry, confirmed that all individuals on the bus were Polish citizens. The bus was transporting people from Poland’s southeastern Podkarpackie region who were returning from a pilgrimage in Bosnia-Herzegovina, as stated by the regional government in Rzeszow, Poland.
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar expressed condolences to the victims' families and thanked the rescue workers who responded to the scene. Polish President Karol Nawrocki also conveyed his sorrow over the incident, offering prayers and sympathy to the families of the victims.