12 people killed as Polish tourist bus veered off Hungarian motorway



A crane winches an overturned bus up on the side of the road as firefighters look on.
The tourist bus came off the road in the early hours of Sunday morning.


Twelve people were killed and dozens more injured when a Polish tourist bus veered off the M3 motorway, which connects Hungarian capital Budapest with the north‑eastern city of Nyíregyháza, into a ditch.


Police say the 24‑tonne bus overturned after leaving the motorway at about 01:00 local time on Sunday (23:00 GMT). Officers believe the driver fell asleep at the wheel and have taken him into custody.


Thirty‑five of the 57 passengers and two drivers were rescued by firefighters amid cranes and heavy equipment lifting the vehicle. Emergency services reported treating one person with life‑threatening injuries, nine with serious injuries and 37 with minor injuries.


Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar offered his “sincere condolences” to the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery.



A red bus sits at the bottom of a ravine as firefighters attend.
The bus came off the motorway and overturned into a ditch running beside the road.



Aerial shot of the bus on the motorway on its side, with cranes beside it.
Cranes were deployed to lift the overturned bus down the side of the road.