Just a few hours ago, 57 pilgrims from the Polish Podkarpackie Voivodeship (Podkarpackie Voivodeship - an administrative region in Poland) were returning from a pilgrimage in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At 1:00 AM on Sunday, August 16, their bus on the M3 highway in eastern Hungary went off the road into a ditch and overturned. 12 people died, at least ten were seriously injured, and one passenger is in critical condition.
The accident happened on a straight section of the road near the town of Mezőkeresztes, about 140 km east of Budapest. The bus with Polish registration was heading to Nyíregyháza. According to the preliminary police version, the driver likely fell asleep at the wheel. He was detained.
There were 59 people on the bus in total: 57 passengers and two drivers, all Polish citizens. About 47 people were injured: nine seriously, 37 lightly. The injured were taken to hospitals in Miskolc, Debrecen, Nyíregyháza, and Eger.
Fourteen ambulance teams arrived at the scene. To free people trapped under the 24-ton bus, which was lying on its side in the ditch, civilian cranes had to be used.
Condolences to the families of the deceased were expressed by Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Medgyessy, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, and President Karol Nawrocki. The latter called the tragedy an event that shook the entire country. Warsaw is in contact with Hungarian authorities regarding assistance to the injured and families of the deceased.
