Twelve people have been killed and at least 10 others injured after a Polish bus overturned overnight on a motorway in eastern Hungary.
According to police, the vehicle was travelling along the motorway towards the city of Nyiregyhaza when the crash occurred, causing the bus to veer into a ditch and roll over early on Sunday near the town of Mezokeresztes.
State news agency MTI said the bus was carrying 57 passengers and two drivers.
Images from the crash site showed a badly damaged red vehicle lying on its side in a ditch with smashed windows and personal belongings and suitcases scattered around the area.
“A Polish-registered bus travelling on the M3 motorway towards Nyiregyhaza … veered off the straight stretch of road into a ditch and overturned. Preliminary information suggests the driver likely fell asleep,” police said on their website.
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced on Sunday morning that at least 10 people were seriously injured in the crash. He offered his condolences to the families of the victims and thanked rescue workers who were dispatched to the scene.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki said on X: “It is with deep sorrow that I received the tragic news of the Polish bus accident in Hungary, in which so many of our compatriots died.”
Twelve people lost their lives and several others were injured in the accident, police said, adding that they were taking the bus driver into custody.
The injured have been taken to hospital.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on X that a “tragic accident” involving a bus carrying Polish tourists happened in Hungary.
“The consular service is operational. We are in contact with the Hungarian authorities. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide verified information,” he said.