Bus Crash in Hungary Kills at Least 12 Polish Pilgrims

At least 12 people were killed and 47 others injured — ten of them seriously — when a bus carrying Polish pilgrims overturned after veering into a roadside ditch in eastern Hungary early on Sunday. Police have arrested the driver, who is believed to have fallen asleep at the wheel during the overnight journey.

The Crash on the M3 Motorway

The accident took place on the M3 motorway near the town of Mezokeresztes, approximately 140 kilometers (87 miles) east of Budapest. The group of 59 people — including two drivers — had been returning from a pilgrimage to Bosnia-Herzegovina. According to Poland's PAP news agency, the travelers were from Podkarpackie province in the far southeast of Poland. When the bus left the carriageway and plunged into the ditch, several passengers became trapped beneath the overturned vehicle.

Rescue Operation and Political Response

Fourteen ambulances were deployed to the crash site. Hungary's National Directorate for Disaster Management confirmed that cranes were needed to extract the bus from the ditch. Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar offered condolences on Facebook, expressing sympathy to the families of those who died. Polish President Karol Nawrocki described the accident as an "unimaginable tragedy" in a post on X, saying his thoughts and prayers were with the victims' loved ones.