Hungary bus crash: 12 killed and several injured in road disaster

Many of the 57 passengers on the bus were trapped under the vehicle when it overturned, according to Hungary’s national directorate for disaster management

Emergency services at the scene after a bus went off the road between Mezokeresztes and Mezonagymihaly in Hungary. Picture: Zoltan Mathe/MTI/AP7

A passenger bus travelling on a major road in Hungary has crashed into a ditch and overturned, killing 12 and injuring others, police said.

The bus, which was carrying Polish tourists, was travelling eastbound near the town of Mezokeresztes when it overturned on the M3 motorway around 140km east of the capital Budapest at around 1am on Sunday.

In a statement, police said it was likely that the driver fell asleep, causing the accident, and has since been taken into custody.

Hungary’s national directorate for disaster management said in a statement that 57 passengers and two drivers were on the bus at the time of the accident, and that several of the passengers had been trapped under the vehicle when it overturned.

Polish foreign ministry spokesman Maciej Wewior told Polish news agency PAP that all of the people on the bus were Polish citizens.

The bus was carrying people from Poland’s south-eastern Podkarpackie region who were returning from a pilgrimage in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the regional government in Rzeszow, Poland, said.

Hungarian prime minister Peter Magyar said at least 10 people were seriously injured in the crash.

Emergency services at the scene after a bus went off the road between Mezokeresztes and Mezonagymihaly in Hungary. Picture: Zoltan Mathe/MTI/AP7

He offered his condolences to the families of the victims, and thanked rescue workers.

Polish president Karol Nawrocki expressed his “deep sorrow” over the accident, writing in a post on X: “I join the families and loved ones of the victims in prayer and deep sympathy.”