Bulgaria: 12 Dead and About 50 Injured in a Pile-Up in Thick Fog on the Trakia Motorway Near Yambol, Day of Mourning Declared
About 50 vehicles on the Sofia–Burgas motorway. Bulgaria had 71 road deaths per million inhabitants in 2025, the highest rate in the EU.
Sofia – Twelve people were killed and about 50 injured in a pile-up in thick fog on the Trakia motorway near Yambol, in south-eastern Bulgaria, on November 10. Wednesday, November 11, was declared a day of national mourning in Bulgaria.
About 50 cars and trucks were involved in the accident, Yambol Regional Governor Georgi Chalakov estimated. The initial collision happened about 75 kilometres west of Burgas, on the motorway linking Sofia with the Black Sea port.
The chain of collisions began with a collision between a bus and a truck, said the Interior Ministry’s General Secretary Lyubomir Nikolov. The authorities believe thick fog is the likely cause.
Health Minister Katya Ivkova said that 46 people were taken to medical facilities, while the Interior Ministry reported 50 injured. The injured were treated in hospitals in nearby cities, and the Government sent aircraft with stretchers and medical teams. Some of the injured were transported by air.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev called the accident a “tragedy” and cancelled his remaining official duties for the day. At the time he was meeting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was visiting Bulgaria. She cut her visit short and expressed condolences and respect for the rescue teams.
The motorway was closed in both directions. Footage from the scene shows cars and trucks across all lanes, many of them crushed, overturned or pushed off the road.
In 2025 Bulgaria had 71 road deaths per million inhabitants, the highest rate in the European Union, according to European Commission data.
Trakia is part of the main route to the Black Sea, also used by vehicles from the region. There are no official data on the nationality of the dead and injured.
What was not announced: the identity and nationality of the victims, the exact time of the first collision and whether an investigation into responsibility has been opened. It is also not known when the motorway was reopened to traffic.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · November 11, 2026
