Sixteen Die in Bus Crash on Saturday,
Prime Minster
Calls Emergency Meeting


Sofia, August 26 (BTA) - Sixteen people died in a bus crash 2 km
 west of Svoge (42 km away from Sofia), including a 13-year old
boy, said the police
late on Saturday. Fifteen sustained serious injuries. The 34
passengers, mainly of retirement age, were on a day trip to the
Seven Altars Monastery. The majority of the victims are from the
 village of Svetovrachene, Sofia region.

Eight people have been admitted to the Pirogov emergency
hospital, and four to Sveta Ana hospital. The bus driver has
been admitted to ISUL and another two passengers to the Military
 Medical Academy.

The accident occurred on a tight bend in heavy rain. The bus
smashed into three cars, destroyed the guardrail and overturned
into a deep gorge.

Monday has been declared a day of national morning for the
victims. An emergency meeting took place at the Interior
Ministry on Sunday afternoon in the aftermath of the crash.

According to unconfirmed reports, the passengers were not
wearing seat belts on the bus.

The bus had been scheduled to undergo a second technical
inspection at the beginning of August but that did not happen.
Under the law, all buses older than 10 years are required to
pass two yearly inspections. The bus is owned by the Mobilus 5
company which has a valid licence until 2027. The bus driver,
who is also the owner of the company, is fully qualified and
experienced. The company was registered in 2001 and is
financially stable. A comprehensive check in May 2017  did not
find any violations.

Twenty-one ambulances from Sofia, Montana and Vratsa were
dispatched to the scene.

Health Minister Kiril Ananiev thanked staff at the emergency
centres in Sofia, Vratsa and Montana and the hospitals for the
timely response and professional care. Both day and nights
shifts worked overnight and medics who were not on call reported
 to work. More beds were added to intensive care units.

The Interior Ministry has launched a phone line, 02 982 50 39,
at which relatives of the victims may receive more information.

Four of the patients admitted to Pirogov are in life-threatening
 condition. Psychologists from the Institute of the Interior
Ministry have been called for help, said Interior Minister
Valentin Radev. They are working both with the relatives of the
victims and firemen and police officers from the rescue teams.
There are witnesses to the accident including among the
passengers on the bus.

The government has offered condolences to the relatives of the
victims and the flags of all institutions will fly at half-mast.
 President Rumen Radev and National Assembly Chair Tsveta
Karayancheva also expressed their condolences. The President
cancelled his participation in observances of the 141th
anniversary of the Battle of Shipka in the town of Gabrovo on
Saturday evening.

During his visit to Pirogov hospital Radev told journalists that
 this was "a big tragedy". He thanked crews from the police and
the fire safety service and the medical teams who responded in
the swiftest possible way.

Radev said that the problem with the increasing number of road
accidents runs deep and it should be resolved with the concerted
 efforts of many institutions.

Footballers in matches from the football championship on Sunday
and Monday will observe a minute of silence.

The non-governmental Road Safety Institute have warned of flaws
on the road through the Iskur gorge which was renovated in 2016,
 according to Dnevnik. The organization received a report from
the Road Infrastructure Agency that commissions had inspected
the road and had identified warranty defects

In the course of the investigation, the prosecution will focus
on three aspects of the crash: the actions of the driver, the
condition of the bus and of the road surface, said Prosecutor
General Sotir Tsatsarov after an emergency meeting on Sunday
under the Prime Minister.

The investigation will look into the obligations of the bus
operator in connection with that particular trip, the condition
of the bus and last but not least the condition of the road
surface, and the manner in which it was laid and approved, said
Tsatsarov.

The procedure for approval and the classification of the road as
 in excellent condition will be reviewed along all signals,
actions by the Road Infrastructure Agency and the  particular
contractor. The 40 km/h speed limit which the bus driver failed
to observe had been imposed as a result of the bad road
conditions. SN/PP




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