Nineteen pilgrims killed in Hungary bus crash

Nineteen Polish pilgrims died and 32 were injured today when the bus taking them to a Bosnian shrine crashed into a ditch in Hungary.

A five-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy were among those killed in the crash near Lake Balaton, about 100 miles southwest of Budapest.

Nine men and eight women also died, said police spokesman Ferenc Vass.

Hungary’s police chief Laszlo Salgo said the bus was driving at about 50 mph when it hit the stone edge of a roundabout and flipped into a ditch.

He said it was unlikely the driver had fallen asleep, but that police were investigating.

Ambulance staff said 17 of the 32 people injured were in a serious condition, with one in a critical condition.

The pilgrims were en route to the southwestern Bosnian sanctuary of Medjugorje, where many Catholics believe the Virgin Mary appeared 21 years ago.

They were led by a priest, Stefan Banaszczuk, who was seriously injured in the accident.

he bus was travelling at about 50 mph when it hit the raised stone edge of the roundabout and flipped over into the ditch, Laszlo Salgo said at the scene.

Salgo added that they were investigating what caused the accident, but said it was ‘‘unlikely that the driver fell asleep’’.

The records show that ‘‘there was a change of drivers only half an hour before the accident,’’ he said.

The driver survived and was taken to a hospital. ‘‘He is in serious condition and will be operated on later this morning,’’ an ambulance spokesman said.

The Hungarian interior minister, Monika Lamperth, visited the area to express her condolences.