The slightly injured passengers in the Serbian bus crash on Trakia motorway will be transported to the border with Serbia

After the serious crash of a Serbian bus carrying children, on Bulgaria’s Trakia motorway on August 14, the first two ambulances with the more seriously injured children arrived in Sofia on August 15.

The driver of the bus was detained for 24 hours. The main hypothesis that is being investigated regarding the cause of the accident is driver’s error. The bus overturned on the motorway last night at around 8pm. Two adults and 12 children remain in hospital in the Southern Bulgarian city of Stara Zagora, but doctors say their condition is stable, said caretaker Health Minister Assen Medjidiev, who was at the scene with his Serbian counterpart.

The two children who were most seriously injured in the crash on the Trakia motorway were transported this morning by ambulances from the hospital in Stara Zagora to the children's neurosurgery ward of Pirogov emergency hospital in Sofia. One of the childfren, who was in a more serious condition yesterday, is stable and conscious. The other child is is in traumatic shock and has injuries to his arm. Neurosurgeons will be doing everything they can to help his recovery because the child's condition complicated this morning.

Two adults and 12 children remain under medical care. Of the 49 passengers on the bus, 44 were examined in the hospital in Stara Zagora. Doctors were unanimous that the quick response of passing motorists who stopped on the motorway to give first aid to the injured gave everyone's lives a chance of being saved. The less seriously injured children will be transported today to the border to be taken over by medical teams from Serbia.

Shortly after 9.00 this morning, the two most seriously injured children were transported in ambulances to the specialised clinics of Pirogov emergency hospital in Sofia.

Ilija's brother, had arrived from Belgrade yesterday, but had not yet been able to see him.

"I have not been able to talk to him, he is in intensive care and cannot talk," said Marko, brother of an injured child.

Relatives of the less seriously injured children spent the night with them in a hotel. Ljubiša Nikolić is the grandfather of two of the girls who travelled on the bus.

"Our granddaughters are fine, now we will take them to Serbia by car. Otherwise, I found out that seven people were injured, some more seriously, we brought the parents of one of the children to see him and now we are bringing them back to the hotel, and then we are going to Serbia with our children to drop them off. They are fine, they are a bit scratched, the children are in shock," Ljubiša Nikolić told BNT.

The passengers from the bus said that the driver was not speeding, and the accident happened because the driver was distracted.

"One guy wanted to sit next to the driver and wanted him to show him how to lower the seat, we leaned to the right and the bus went. The driver had had enough sleep and was well rested, had room all day and that was it. We were in Sunny Beach, from there we set off for Serbia, we stopped at a petrol station, ten kilometres to here and that was it," said a group leader.

Fear and great stress are still experienced by all who travelled on the bus. Psychologists worked with them all night. To coordinate the activities in Stara Zagora hospital, the caretaker health minister Assen Medzhidiev and his Serbian counterpart Zlatibor Loncar arrived.

"One child, who was in a more serious condition yesterday, and about whom we had great concerns,has been stabilized hemodynamically, is adequate, fully conscious, will now require surgical interventions. The other child, who had traumatic shock and upper limb trauma, is in a slightly different condition, a slightly more severe condition with fibrillitis, so after an agreement with the neurosurgeons from Sofia, he is also being brought to the pediatric neurosurgery of Pirogov hospital. The rest of the children are fine, the adults are also in good condition," explained Bulgaria’s interim Health Minister Assen Medzhidiev.

According to initial information, 8 children and 4 adults have been admitted to hospital

"The most important thing is that all Serbian passengers, parents and children, are alive. We have spoken with all those who are in hospital. I thank the Bulgarian authorities for what they have done for our citizens and children, for taking care of those who are in hospital and those who are accommodated in the hotel," said Zlatibor Lonchar, Sebria’s Health Minister.

After giving their testimonies, the children who are well will go to Serbia with specialised transport, the Serbian health minister said.

Images by BGNES