TIRANA, Nov. 23 – Albania has sent messages of condolence and support after a bus crash in Bulgaria killed at least 45 people, most, if not all, being ethnic Albanians from North Macedonia.
Bulgarian and Macedonian officials said that 12 children were among the some 45 people who died in a fiery bus crash in Bulgaria early Tuesday morning. Only seven passengers survived. It is Europe’s most deadly accident of its kind in a decade.
A list of all the passengers was made public by local media but not confirmed by authorities. It included two twin toddlers who perished with their mother, part of the human stories emerging from the rubble.
Survivor Medina Lutfiu from Kumanovo told Alsat television from her hospital bed that most of the bus had been asleep at 2 a.m. when the bus crashed, and she had been awoken by people’s screams. She and her fiance managed to break the glass of the window to get out.
Fiancé Lulzim Sulejmani from the ethnic Albanian town of Presevo in southern Serbia said he attributed their survival to finding a hammer to break the emergency window as the flames were spreading too quickly.
Most people were trapped in the smoke and flames because the driver died in the crash and could not open the doors.
The cause of the crash was not immediately confirmed, but it appeared that the bus hit a highway guard rail, crashed and caught fire.
It was part of a convoy of four buses from Skopje taking visitors from North Macedonia on a packaged tour to Istanbul, according to Macedonian Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani. The other three buses were unaffected.
Photos taken shortly after the crash showed the bus engulfed in flames with plumes of thick, black smoke rising from the scene.
Media in North Macedonia reported that police were outside the Skopje offices of a travel company, Besa Trans, that is believed to have organized the trip to Turkey.
Albania’s president, prime minister and opposition leader all issued messages. Common Albanians joined in the pouring of grief and support on social media.
Albanian Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka said on Twitter the Albanian people mourned together with their brethren in North Macedonia.
“Great pain at the 45 lives of Albanians from North Macedonia in the tragic accident in Bulgaria. Our most sincere condolences to the victims and speedy recovery to the wounded. Albania stands with North Macedonia at this difficult time,” Xhacka said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed her condolences to the families and friends of those who died in the “tragic bus accident” and said that “in these terrible times, Europe stands in solidarity with you.”
North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Kosovo have all declared days of mourning for the loss of life.
