Two mass collisions involving a total of 86 vehicles occurred on Bulgaria's Trakia Motorway, which links the capital Sofia with the city of Burgas. The crashes killed 11 people, the website infohub.kz reports.
The country's Interior Ministry said thick fog was the most likely cause. According to the ministry, the first collision took place in the lane heading toward Burgas, where a truck blocked the path of a passenger bus. A truck carrying wheat was following the bus. A car struck the rear of the truck, which in turn hit the bus.
The second collision occurred in the lane heading toward Sofia. "It is obvious that visibility before the crashes was 70–80 meters. The fog thickened sharply, and the vehicles traveling in the lane toward Burgas formed a traffic jam very quickly. In the opposite lane, the most likely cause of the crash was the slowing of vehicles whose drivers reduced speed to see what was happening," said Bulgarian Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev.
According to Interior Ministry data, 86 vehicles were involved in the incident, of which 63 were heading toward Burgas and 23 toward Sofia.
The country's Health Ministry reported that ten people died at the scene and another died in hospital.