KABUL (Pajhwok): At least 12 people have been killed and 10 others injured after a Polish-registered bus overturned on a motorway in eastern Hungary, a media report said on Sunday.
Reuters, quoting Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar, reported that the accident occurred early Sunday on the M3 motorway near the town of Mezokeresztes.
Hungarian police said the bus was travelling towards the city of Nyiregyhaza when it veered off the motorway, entered a ditch and overturned.
State news agency MTI reported that 57 passengers and two drivers were on board. Images from the scene showed the badly damaged red bus lying on its side in a ditch, with shattered windows and luggage scattered nearby.
Police said preliminary information indicated that the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel.
“Twelve people lost their lives and several others were injured in the accident,” police said, adding that the bus driver had been taken into custody.
The injured were taken to hospitals for treatment.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki expressed sorrow over the deaths, saying he had received “tragic news” about the accident involving Polish citizens.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski described the incident as a “tragic accident” involving a bus carrying Polish tourists.
He said Polish consular officials were in contact with Hungarian authorities and that the Foreign Ministry would provide verified information.
hz/sa
