Two Dead and Several Injured in Serious Bus Accident near Malko Tarnovo Border Crossing

Police have detained the two bus drivers for 24 hours following a crash near the border crossing at Malko Tarnovo checkpoint (Southeast Bulgaria, border with Turkiye) this morning, April 22. Two women were killed in the accident, and nine other people were taken to hospital with various injuries.

The detention was carried out to establish all circumstances surrounding the tragedy. According to the Director of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior in Burgas, Nikolay Nenkov, tests for alcohol and drugs on both drivers were negative.

There were 39 people on the bus—two drivers, a tour operator, and 36 passengers, mostly women and children from Ukraine. They were travelling from Odessa to Istanbul on an excursion. About 4 km from the checkpoint, the vehicle reportedly ran out of fuel. The driver pulled over to the side of the narrow two-lane road to avoid obstructing traffic and went on foot to a nearby petrol station to get fuel.

After fuel was brought, the bus reportedly began rolling backwards and slid into a roadside ravine. According to witness accounts, the two women who died were inside the vehicle at the time, while some passengers who were outside were not injured.

The road towards the border checkpoint has been temporarily closed as recovery operations for the crashed bus continue. The investigation into the exact cause of the accident is ongoing.