Death Toll from Serious Accident near Zimnitsa Rises to 12; Tomorrow is a Day of Mourning

12 people have been killed in the serious road accident near Zimnitsa, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said after visiting the scene on November 10. He announced that tomorrow will be declared a national day of mourning in memory of those who lost their lives in the crash.

“Today is a tragic day for the whole of Bulgaria. So far, this accident has claimed the lives of 12 people, while dozens more have been injured and taken to hospitals in Burgas, Sliven and Yambol. The Health Minister and I will visit them in person shortly.

I would like once again to extend my sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of those who died in this accident, and to thank all the emergency response teams and members of the public who came forward to help and worked in these extremely difficult conditions.

I hope that the situation will now stabilise and that there will be no further fatalities. We have taken all necessary measures not only to transport the injured to hospitals, but also to organise an air bridge as quickly as possible.”

He said that both Spartan aircraft and the government plane were on standby to provide assistance if necessary.

“The Council of Ministers will declare tomorrow a national day of mourning in memory of those who died in the crash.”

Asked whether the accident could have been prevented, the prime minister drew attention to the large electronic information boards used abroad to warn motorists of potential hazards ahead.

“You only have to ask yourself why we do not have such signs in Bulgaria. It is not just a question of money, despite the enormous sums that have been stolen from virtually everything. This is particularly relevant when we talk about the construction of Bulgarian roads and motorways.

We are still waiting for the outcome of the Hemus motorway case, where money was siphoned off in bags. But this is not just about money. It is about the attitude towards the health and lives of citizens.

These are measures that can be implemented at relatively little cost. It is a question of willingness and organisation. At several Cabinet meetings, we announced that we were working on setting up a Unified Information Centre, where all this information would be collated in real time. We plan to establish it next year, and it will have such information boards.

At long last, our motorways should start to resemble those in developed countries – if not in terms of potholes, then at least in terms of the information provided to drivers.”

The prime minister explained that visibility at the scene was extremely poor. He said an analysis would be carried out to establish the causes of the crash.

“These are systemic problems that cannot be addressed individually after each accident. We are looking for a systemic solution. Several presentations have been made outlining how this new real-time road safety system will be developed.

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“Whatever systems and measures we put in place, I urge drivers to be careful. I appeal to everyone to exercise greater caution. Our roads are already far from being in the best condition, so everyone must drive responsibly, taking weather conditions into account, exercising increased caution and adhering to speed limits.”

Images by BTA

The Minister of Labour and Social Policy will outline the financial support available to the families of those who died. However, money can never bring back a human life. That is why I once again urge everyone to exercise caution on the roads, Radev concluded.