Several dead in mass accident on Bulgarian highway

Dense fog on the highway Several deaths in mass accidents in Bulgaria As of: November 10, 2026 • 3:09 p.m

Dense fog, wet roads: At least twelve people have died in rear-end collisions on a motorway in Bulgaria. Numerous rescue workers are on duty. EU Commission chief von der Leyen had to shorten her visit to the country.

According to official figures, at least twelve people have died in mass accidents on a highway in Bulgaria. About 50 others were injured.

The accident involving dozens of vehicles occurred near the city of Yambol in the southeast of the country. Both directions of the highway between the capital Sofia and the Black Sea town of Burgas were affected. The road was wet and there was thick fog.

According to official information, 14 fire brigade teams are on duty, as well as soldiers from a battalion stationed nearby. A military transport aircraft is also used.

At the time the accident became known, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was visiting the new Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev to discuss the alleged Russian drone attacks in the Black Sea.

Because of the large-scale rescue operation, her visit was cut short. She expressed her condolences. A government meeting planned for the afternoon in Sofia is to be cancelled.

Bulgaria has the highest number of road deaths in the EU. As EU surveys from 2025 show, there are 71 traffic deaths per million inhabitants. According to the Federal Statistical Office, there were 34 traffic deaths per million inhabitants in Germany last year. In Bulgaria, a road safety authority was only founded in 2019.

With information from Oliver Soos, ARD Vienna

This topic in the program: tagesschau.de | Mass accident on Bulgarian highway | 11/10/2026 | 2:05 p.m