A Romanian truck driver was detained on Tuesday by Bulgarian authorities following the chain accident on the Trakia highway, in which 12 people lost their lives and dozens were injured.
Investigators are trying to determine whether the vehicle driven by him triggered the first collision after it suddenly slowed down in dense fog conditions. So far, prosecutors have heard 44 witnesses, and the Romanian driver is scheduled to be interrogated again on Wednesday, with the help of an interpreter.
According to the Bulgarian agency BTA, cited by Novinite, preliminary information shows that the truck registered in Romania was at the front of the vehicle column and reduced speed before the accident occurred. The investigation must determine whether the driver slowed down gradually, how much the speed was reduced, or if he came to a complete stop. Prosecutors are also checking whether the vehicle ended up blocking part of the roadway.
In the statement given to investigators, the driver said he slowed down because of the fog.
Chief Commissioner Dobrin Dimitrov, director of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior in Yambol, stated that there are several hypotheses regarding the truck's position before the impact. The vehicle could have been moving at a very low speed or could have entered the roadway from a side lane. So far, investigators have not determined exactly what happened, and additional expert analyses by the National Investigation Service are necessary.
According to district prosecutor Doychin Doychev, a car traveling behind the Romanian truck managed to avoid the impact. A passenger bus, following the car, was unable to avoid the collision. Subsequently, another truck carrying grain was also involved in the accident, triggering a chain reaction.
No passenger on the bus lost their life. The deaths occurred as a result of the subsequent collisions, when those involved no longer had time to react.
Investigators have heard 44 witnesses
Prosecutors spoke with 44 people right at the accident site in an effort to quickly obtain information about the sequence of events. Doychev explained that statements will be supplemented with new hearings, as the stress caused by such an incident can affect witnesses' memories.
Several people reported that the fog thickened considerably at one point, causing drivers to reduce their speed. Investigators are checking whether vehicles approaching the accident area took into account the change in visibility conditions or continued to travel at excessive speeds.
The prosecutor noted that some statements indicate that certain cars and trucks did not adjust their speed to the weather conditions. However, it is too early to establish any possible charges, as the investigation is not yet complete and further expert analyses are needed.
Authorities did not receive reports about fog at 112
The police received the first call regarding the accident around 7:10 AM and dispatched all available crews to the scene. According to Chief Commissioner Dobrin Dimitrov, the scale of the incident was evident from the arrival of the first teams.
The governor of the Yambol region, Georgi Chalakov, stated that there are no records of emergency calls to 112 reporting dense fog before the collisions occurred.
He specified that the regional administration is in contact with the Road Infrastructure Agency, which is expected to propose additional measures to prevent such accidents. The governor promised to support their implementation.
Chalakov also commented on footage captured by the toll system cameras, which show the fog in the area. He warned that the recordings do not allow for an exact determination of its density, estimating that visibility was at least 70-80 meters.
Regarding the response of the crews, the official said emergency vehicles arrived approximately ten minutes after the alert, and police began victim evacuation operations shortly after receiving the report. Traffic was diverted to allow ambulances to reach the injured.
The governor explained why the alert via the BG-ALERT system was sent only at 8:10 AM, after the accidents occurred. According to him, the procedure requires the existence of an event and obtaining concrete information about it before activating the system.
Doctors continue to treat those injured in the accidents on the Trakia highway. The most serious case is a Romanian citizen hospitalized in a hospital in Burgas, where he is kept alive with the help of a ventilator.