Investigation Is Underway into the Causes of the Fatal Accident on Ruse–Byala Road, In Which Four People Died, Including a Child

Four people, including a child, died at the scene after a head-on collision between a heavy goods vehicle and a minivan on the main road between Ruse and Byala. The victims were members of a Ukrainian family. Only the father and a 12-year-old child survived and have been admitted to hospital. The section of the road remained closed for several hours, causing traffic queues stretching for kilometres.

The crash occurred shortly after 9.30am on the stretch between the village of Ekzarh Yosif and the junction for Dve Mogili. The minivan was carrying a Ukrainian family – four adults and two children. They were returning from a holiday in Greece. The grandparents, the mother and one of the children died. The other child and the 43-year-old father have been admitted to the intensive surgical ward at Kanev Hospital.

• Serious accident closes Ruse–Byala road; four people killed (PHOTOS)

Milush Ganev, lorry driver: "I heard that the elderly man was driving. He drove straight into the lorry. There are no skid marks, nothing."

Yumit Ali, lorry driver: "I've been waiting here for two hours. They drive fast. It's a big problem."

Lorry drivers say that many of the crashes on this section of road are caused by motorists failing to comply with Bulgaria's traffic rules.

Milush Ganev, lorry driver: "Moldovans, Ukrainians, Romanians drive very fast. And nobody does anything. These are the consequences. They obey the rules there, but not here. With these new cars, these new SUVs. When people are careful, these things don't happen. But they drive fast. And we, the lorry drivers, are always the ones who get blamed."

According to the Executive Agency for Road Transport Administration, the lorry was roadworthy. No violations were found regarding the driver's permitted driving and rest times. Data from the vehicle's tachograph, including its speed at the time of the crash, will be provided to investigators.

Chief Inspector Lychezar Bliznakov, spokesperson for the Traffic Police Department at the General Directorate of National Police: "According to the initial information, the passenger vehicle entered the oncoming lane for no apparent reason and collided head-on with the lorry. The evidence at the scene indicates that the lorry driver did everything possible to avoid the collision."

The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Investigators have not ruled out the possibility that the driver fell asleep at the wheel or suffered a medical emergency.