A Polish-registered bus carrying 57 passengers and two drivers overturned near Mezokeresztes, about 140 km east of Budapest on the M3 motorway, early Sunday around 01:00 local time [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Twelve people died at the scene or later in hospital, and dozens more were injured, including at least 10 seriously and some with life-threatening injuries [1, 2, 3, 6, 4, 7, 8, 5, 9, 10, 11].
Authorities believe the driver fell asleep at the wheel before the bus veered off the motorway and rolled into a ditch [1, 2, 12, 3, 6, 4, 7, 5, 9, 10]. Emergency crews rescued 35 passengers, with several trapped under the bus requiring cranes to lift the vehicle [1, 4, 7, 5, 10].
The bus carried Polish tourists from the Podkarpackie region returning from a pilgrimage to the Catholic shrine in Međugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina [3, 4, 7, 10]. The driver survived the crash and was taken into custody by Hungarian police. Prosecutors are seeking his pre-trial detention on suspicion of negligently causing mass fatalities. "According to the current state of the investigation ... the driver was incapable of safely operating the vehicle, he fell asleep due to fatigue," prosecutors said [1, 2, 12, 6, 4, 7, 5].
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar expressed condolences: "I offer my sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wish the injured a speedy recovery," he said [1]. He added, "12 people lost their lives and at least ten were seriously injured during the night when a Polish bus overturned into a ditch on the M3 motorway" [11].
Polish President Karol Nawrocki said, "It is with deep sorrow that I received the tragic news of the Polish bus accident in Hungary, in which so many of our compatriots died" [5]. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski confirmed consular support was operational and in contact with Hungarian authorities [5]: "The consular service is operational. We are in contact with the Hungarian authorities. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide verified information."
This is the deadliest road accident in Hungary since 2003. Similar fatal bus crashes involving Polish pilgrims occurred in 2002 and 2022 [3, 5, 10].
Hungarian prosecutors announced on August 18 they are seeking pre-trial detention for the bus driver on suspicion of negligent mass fatality [6].
