Demerdzhiev: There are many causes behind the crash on the Trakia Motorway

Fog, a sharp drop in visibility and a lack of warning infrastructure were among the factors behind the serious pile-up on the Trakia Motorway near Zimnitsa. This was stated by Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev.

According to the latest information from BNT, 12 people died in the incident and 46 were injured. A total of 86 vehicles were involved in the collisions – 63 in the lane towards Burgas and 23 in the lane towards Sofia.

Visibility dropped to 10 metres

Demerdzhiev said that shortly before the accident, visibility had been around 70–80 metres, but at the crash site the fog had suddenly become much denser.

“Visibility, which had initially been 70–80 metres, dropped to 10 metres. This was the cause of the initial accident. From that point on, it is clear what happened to the drivers travelling behind them,” Ivan Demerdzhiev said.

According to him, after the first collision, vehicles began piling up extremely quickly in the direction from Sofia to Burgas. He уточни, че окончателните изводи трябва да бъдат направени след огледа и работата на Националната следствена служба.

The minister pointed to organisational shortcomings

Demerdzhiev said there was no necessary connection between the cameras of the Road Infrastructure Agency, which monitor the situation in real time, and the traffic police officers. According to him, the motorway also lacks information boards to warn drivers of dangers and instruct them how to react.

“If these two things had been put in place over the years, the response would have been preventive rather than reactive,” the minister said.

The Trakia Motorway remains closed in both directions in the Yambol area because of the inspection and the large number of heavy goods vehicles involved in the crash. Clearing operations are due to begin after the investigative proceedings are completed. Nine investigators are expected to arrive at the scene as a team.

Rescue teams carried the injured out by hand

The interior minister thanked the officers who carried some of the injured on stretchers to the ambulances, as there had been no access to the centre of the accident. He said that timely assistance had been possible thanks to the large number of ambulances dispatched and the rapid response of the medical facilities.

Earlier information from the scene indicated a different number of victims and injured people – 11 dead and 48 injured. BNT’s later report updated the number of fatalities to 12.

Sources: bntnews.bg