Disasters & Incidents
Polish bus overturns in Hungary, killing 12
A Polish bus overturned on Hungary's M3 highway early Sunday, killing 12 people and leaving at least 10 others with serious injuries, Prime Minister Peter Magyar and officials said.
Police said the coach was travelling from Serbia to Poland when it crashed at 1:00 am local time, 2300 GMT Saturday, near Mezokeresztes, east of Budapest.
Hungary's national disaster management agency said the bus had 57 passengers and two drivers on board. It said the vehicle left the road, ended up in a ditch and came to rest on its side.
The agency said 11 people were declared dead at the scene and another person died in hospital. The ambulance service said 37 people suffered minor injuries.
Firefighters and other rescuers had to pull some people out through the windows because they were trapped in the bus. The disaster management agency said two cranes later lifted the bus out of the ditch.
Magyar announced the death toll on social media, sent condolences to the victims' families and thanked those involved in the rescue operation.
Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski called it a "tragic bus accident involving Polish tourists" and said Polish consular services were in contact with Hungarian authorities. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also confirmed that 12 people had died.
It was Hungary's worst road accident since 2003, when a train hit a German tourist bus at Siofok, killing 33 people. In 2002, a bus carrying Polish pilgrims crashed near Balatonszentgyorgy, killing 19 people.
Update
Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski called it a tragic bus accident involving Polish tourists and said consular services were in contact with Hungarian authorities.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed that 12 people had died.
Hungary's national disaster management agency said two cranes eventually lifted the bus out of the ditch.
The item adds context about a 2002 crash involving Polish pilgrims near Balatonszentgyorgy that killed 19 people.
Source note: AFP news report published on 16 August 2026 at 07:48:05 UTC.
Update
The bus was travelling from Serbia to Poland.
The bus carried 57 passengers and two drivers.
Eleven people were declared dead at the scene and another person died in hospital, the national disaster management agency said.
The ambulance service said 37 people suffered minor injuries.
The national disaster management agency said the bus left the road, ended up in a ditch and stopped on its side.
Rescuers had to pull some trapped people out through the windows.
The crash was described as Hungary's worst road accident since a 2003 train collision with a German tourist bus at Siofok killed 33 people.
Source note: AFP news report published on 16 August 2026 at 07:28:12 UTC.
Update
The bus was Polish-registered.
At least 10 people had serious injuries, according to Prime Minister Peter Magyar and police.
Police said the coach crashed at 1:00 am local time on the M3 highway near Mezokeresztes, east of Budapest.
Source note: AFP news report published on 16 August 2026 at 06:56:46 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The cause of the bus leaving the road was not stated.
Source
AFP news report published on .