A Polish-registered coach veered off a highway in northeastern Hungary early Sunday, killing 12 people and leaving at least 10 others in critical condition, authorities confirmed.
The bus, carrying 57 passengers and two drivers, was traveling from Serbia to Poland when it crashed at approximately 1:00 a.m. on the M3 motorway near Mezőkeresztes, roughly 140 kilometers (85 miles) east of Budapest. According to the national disaster management agency, the vehicle left the roadway, plunged into a ditch, and came to rest on its side.
Hungarian Interior Minister Gábor Pósfai stated the driver had been detained, with police citing initial indications that he fell asleep at the wheel. Eleven victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while a twelfth succumbed to injuries in hospital. The ambulance service reported 37 people sustained minor injuries and were transported to hospitals in four nearby cities, forcing the closure of the highway for several hours.
Polish diplomat Andrzej Osiak told a press conference that five of the injured were fighting for their lives, noting the coach was transporting pilgrims returning to Poland. Prime Minister Donald Tusk ordered a special flight to repatriate passengers able to travel and pledged full medical and consular support for those affected.
Deadliest Crash in Over Two Decades
Firefighters and rescue crews were forced to extract trapped passengers through the windows due to the crushed roof. Two cranes were eventually required to upright and remove the wreckage from the ditch.
The incident marks Hungary’s deadliest road disaster since 2003, when a train collided with a German tourist bus in Siófok, killing 33 people. In 2002, a bus carrying Polish pilgrims crashed near Balatonszentgyörgy, resulting in 19 fatalities.
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar expressed condolences to the victims’ families and thanked emergency responders for their efforts. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski described the event as a “tragic bus accident involving Polish tourists” and confirmed consular services were actively coordinating with Hungarian authorities. “We stand together in this difficult moment,” Prime Minister Tusk affirmed.
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