BUDAPEST: A passenger bus traveling on a highway in Hungary early Sunday went off the road and into a ditch where it overturned, killing 12 and injuring others, police said.
The bus, which carried Polish license plates, was traveling on eastbound lanes near the town of Mezokeresztes when it overturned on the M3 motorway around 140 kilometers (87 miles) east of Hungary’s capital, Budapest, at around 1 a.m. on Sunday.
In a statement, police said it was likely that the driver fell asleep, causing the accident, and that the driver had been taken into custody.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski wrote Sunday in a post on X that a “tragic bus accident involving Polish tourists” had occurred in Hungary and that his ministry was in contact with Hungarian authorities.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki expressed his “deep sorrow” over the accident.
“I join the families and loved ones of the victims in prayer and deep sympathy,” he wrote in a post on X.
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar wrote in a statement on Facebook that at least 10 people were seriously injured in the crash. He offered his condolences to the families of the victims and thanked rescue workers who were dispatched to the scene.
