12 people have died and 46 have been injured in the severe chain-reaction crash on the Trakia Motorway, Health Minister Katya Ivkova said from Sliven. Ten of the victims died at the scene, while two others lost their lives in hospital.
One of the injured people died at a medical facility in Yambol, while the other died in Sliven. Eight patients have been admitted to hospitals in Sliven. Seven people have been transported to two medical facilities in Burgas, while 12 have been admitted to the hospital in Yambol.
Ivkova expressed her condolences to the relatives of those who died and described the incident as “an extremely serious tragedy.” She said that coordination had been established between the teams of the Emergency Medical Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Defence.
Air transport provided for seriously injured people
The Spartan military aircraft and the government aircraft are on standby. If necessary, seriously injured people can be transported from Burgas Airport to medical facilities in Sofia.
Hospitals in Sofia, Plovdiv, Haskovo and Stara Zagora have been mobilised to admit additional patients. The decision to transfer them will be made by the treating teams according to the condition of the injured and the medical necessity.
Emergency medical, police and fire service teams are taking part in the rescue and medical operation. The Ministry of Defence has ensured its readiness to provide assistance with air transport.
Earlier, different figures had been reported
Shortly before the health minister’s statement, Prime Minister Rumen Radev had reported 11 dead and 48 injured in the crash. Later, Katya Ivkova presented updated figures of 12 victims and 46 injured.
Medical teams continue their work. The figures for the number of dead and injured are subject to updating.