A participant in the serious crash on the Trakia Motorway has publicly addressed questions to representatives of the institutions who arrived at the scene of the accident near Yambol. In his account, published by Focus, the man claims that survivors helped the injured themselves.
“My colleagues and I helped each other,” he writes. According to him, people at the scene pulled victims out of the vehicles, and some of them had died. The man asks why none of the arriving “gentlemen in suits” addressed the survivors and whether they needed water.
The account also claims that the bodies of those who died remained on the ground until 3:00 p.m. The participant says that more than 200 people were at the scene, but in his view they did not provide the necessary assistance. He also mentions a man from Yambol who brought a box of croissants, which were handed out to police officers rather than to the injured.
The claims are part of a personal account by a participant in the crash and have not been independently confirmed by the investigating authorities. Officially, it has been reported that 11 people died in the two chain-reaction crashes near the Zimnitsa road junction, while 51 injured people were admitted to medical facilities in Sliven, Yambol and Burgas. Thirteen of those injured are in serious condition.
According to data cited by the Bulgarian National Radio, 86 cars and trucks were involved in the incidents. The first crash occurred at kilometre 289 in the direction of Burgas, while the second took place at kilometre 294 in the direction of Sofia. The alert about the first collision was received at 7:10 a.m.
Dense fog, almost zero visibility, a slippery road surface and inappropriate speed have been identified as factors in the tragedy. Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated in the case, and the driver of the truck involved in one of the crashes has been detained, the director of the Yambol Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior, Senior Commissioner Dobrin Dimitrov, said. Further expert assessments and questioning are forthcoming.
The Trakia Motorway is now open in both directions. On November 11, the Council of Ministers declared a national day of mourning in memory of those who died.
Sources: focus-news.net, bnrnews.bg