Four are the victims after the serious accident. 17 were injured in the incident, and a total of 8 people with various injuries remain in hospital.
At the Military Medical Academy, three people are currently being treated, two of whom are in intensive care. Two people in serious condition are also admitted to the “St. Anna“ hospital. Three patients are being treated in “Pirogov“.
Two of the deceased were passengers in the cars. The other two are Indian citizens. According to the information, they came to our country about a year ago, and their employer describes them as conscientious and responsible people who have integrated.
8 citizens from India have been working in Valentin Yordanov's company for about a year. Their workplace is near the scene of the incident. No one has seen them since last night. Unofficially, he receives information that there are Indian citizens among the dead.
„This morning, my employee who is responsible for them called me and said that two did not come home during the night and there are rumors that they are among the dead. It was very difficult to get information whether it was them or not. We tried to find them through our channels – they say that one is in ISUL in serious condition, and from the other place they say that both died, yes. They are like a whole family, very close – I would only say good things about them. Wonderful, responsible, cultured workers“, says Valentin Yordanov.
Yordanov says that he has seen aggressive and dangerous driving more than once, and he trusts that the authorities will quickly establish the facts surrounding the accident, and that those responsible will bear their responsibility.
“Who hasn't noticed? We all know them. People without education, bought licenses, maybe they have been on drugs. These are my workers, my family – they came from 5 thousand kilometers to earn a living. Are they my workers, relatives, our children – I hope the new minister will be able to rein them in. One has to ask – where do they get the money for these powerful cars? We all know what's going on," commented Valentin Yordanov.
Among colleagues and employees in the company, there is currently no clarity on what exactly happened.
"I even wonder how I will announce it tomorrow. It's not easy to tell people that the people they worked with are not among them," said Valentin Yordanov.
After the serious accident, both injured people who were riding the bus and those injured by the two cars that were moving at extremely high speed remain in hospital. Their relatives, who were in front of the hospitals, refused to comment.
"Let's not argue, we don't give interviews," they said. When asked if they were close to Vasko, they replied: “We are close to everyone, we will not give interviews“.
“We have three people whose lives are in danger. The three drivers, of the car and the bus, were injured, including them“, points out Ivo Bikov from the Traffic Police – SDVR.
“The one car that crashed into the bus was on fire. And if the services had not intervened, these people would have burned alive. There were small children in that bus and if it had not been for the people from the fire department – today we would only be talking about victims“, says the deputy city prosecutor.
Among the injured who are in hospital, there are also 15-year-old children.
The main version of the investigators about the incident is a race between cars. According to investigators, they were traveling at nearly 150 kilometers per hour in a 60-kilometer limit. The drivers will be charged with causing death in an accident with possible intent.
The incident occurred at 7:37 p.m. on Chelopeshko Shose Street. A collision between the cars followed - so strong that one car crashed into the windows of a public transport bus.
“The Audi crashed into a pole and into a public transport stop. The other car - half of it is missing due to the impact with the bus. It was burning inside the bus and if it hadn't been for the firefighters, all the passengers would have died alive,“ says Angel Kanev, deputy city prosecutor.
Two of the bus passengers - Indian citizens, died on the spot. Dozens were injured.
„How do I know what's going on? I didn't see it. They stopped us there. There are many injured people“, says a woman who got off the bus.
„The bus is turned sideways, one car is stuck in it. Another is in the middle. There are people on the ground, ambulances, horror“, says a man.
Police, fire and ambulance teams arrive at the scene. It even gets to the point of aggression. That's why additional police teams arrive.
„One of the drivers of the cars, in addition to hindering the rescue efforts of the firefighters, also showed aggression towards another participant in the accident - the driver of the bus. There was some shouting, shouting about who would do what in the future“, says Angel Kanev.
The two drivers who participated in the race do not have Bulgarian licenses. They have Czech ones - issued a year ago. It remains to be seen whether they are genuine.
Over the years, they have had more than one violation - for driving without a license and for speeding. They are known to the police.
“They have been contacted in procedural and police order. And in other criminal proceedings“, says Kanev.
A check has also begun related to their standard of living. The reason - numerous clips on social networks in which they show expensive cars and money.
bTV also has some of the recordings. According to unofficial information, they were published on the Internet by one of the drivers. They show at least 5 different cars and the throwing of banknotes.
“According to documents, these people have no income and opportunities, at least according to the declared tax returns“, says Kanev.
A kilometer from the accident is the Chelopechene neighborhood. People say that races are regularly held in the area.
“Are they driving fast? Oh - very fast. The other day, I was halfway down the pedestrian crossing, and he sped past me. Didn't he stop? No, they don't stop at all“, says a resident of the area.
“The state of the infrastructure is deplorable - overgrown with vegetation that limits visibility. This is the second similar incident in a year - a brazen and outrageous violation of traffic rules. At a speed of 150 km/h, 200 m is covered in 1.33 seconds," commented Diana Rusinova from the ECTP.
That is why they insist on urgent road safety.
A total of 8 people with various injuries remain in hospitals. Three people are still being treated at the Military Medical Academy, two of whom are in intensive care.
Two people in serious condition are also admitted to the "St. Anna" hospital. Three patients are being treated at "Pirogov" hospital.
Two of the victims were passengers in the cars. The other two are Indian citizens. According to the information we have, they came to our country about a year ago, and their employer describes them as conscientious and responsible people who have integrated.