Bulgaria: 12 dead in fog-related pile-ups on Trakia motorway

Twelve people died in two pile-ups on the Trakia motorway in eastern Bulgaria. About 50 others were injured. The crashes happened on 10 November 2026. The toll rose during the day: Prime Minister Rumen Radev first spoke of 11 dead, and at around 4pm Polish time AFP reported that 12 people had died.

What happened

The first report came at about 7:10am local time. It concerned a collision at the 289km mark of the motorway, in the direction of Burgas. A few minutes later vehicles also began colliding on the carriageway towards Sofia. Both pile-ups happened between the Zimnitsa and Kabile junctions, near Yambol. According to media reports, dozens of vehicles, cars and lorries, were involved.

Lubomir Nikolov, secretary general of the Bulgarian Interior Ministry, said it all began with a collision between a minibus and a lorry in the Burgas-bound carriageway. In his view, fog was most likely a contributing factor. The circumstances are to be examined in detail once the rescue operation is over.

Rescue operation

According to the Bulgarian Interior Ministry, 50 people were taken to hospital. Todor Mishinev, head of traffic police in Yambol, said some of the injured were trapped in vehicles and rescuers had to cut away parts of the bodywork to free them.

Prime Minister Radev called the crash a tragedy and said he would travel to the scene. It happened during a visit to Bulgaria by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. She offered condolences to the victims' families and cut short her stay in the country.

What this means for you

The Trakia motorway links Sofia with Burgas and is on a route used by travellers in Bulgaria. The sources do not say whether foreigners were among the dead or injured. People planning to travel by car in the country should check current road condition reports and weather forecasts, especially when fog is dense.