Bulgarian official says 'human error' likeliest cause of fiery bus crash

In a major revelation, a Bulgarian official said that the recent bus fire accident was a "human error" and denied the involvement of any terror outfit in the deadly accident. Citing deputy chief prosecutor and head of Bulgaria national investigation service, Borislav Sarafov, the Associated Press said the accident killed at least 44 people, including 12 children on Tuesday. He noted that a total of 52 passengers were travelling in the bus, mostly nationals of North Macedonia, but all were not lucky enough to save themselves from the inevitable mishap. As per the report, one of four who was killed in the accident was returning from a trip to Istanbul.

Further, he revealed that the bus caught fire after it hit a highway guardrail in western Bulgaria, caught fire and was reduced to a charred shell. Officials said the passengers were trapped as both exits were blocked.

Speaking at a press conference in Bulgaria’s national capital, Sarafov said that for the time being 'the leading version (of events) is human error.' "The guard rail on the motorway where the accident happened is dangerous and is among the main causes for the crash,” he said. He added that investigators are examining whether the poor organization of highway traffic such as lane marking, lack of proper signs and reflectors could have contributed to the crash," said the head of Bulgaria national investigation service. 

Bus crash was deadliest in history of country: Bulgarian official

According to Borislav Sarafov, the driver tried his best to stop the bus but accidentally hit the guard rail. Citing the reason behind the accident, lead investigator Marian Marinov said it was "dark and raining".

"Witnesses have said that immediately after the first hit fire broke out and the bus was quickly filled with smoke. No one could exit from the front door because of the strong fire there. All gathered in front of the second door in the middle of the bus, but it was blocked by the guard rail," he said. Marinov said that the bus crash was one of the deadliest incidents in the history of Bulgaria and added victims were identified after collecting the DNA samples.

Further, he maintained that the victims died of suffocation from fire smoke and not from the impact of the crash. While speaking in front of the prosecutor, one of the survivors who broke the window and managed to save his life said among the travellers, eight of them successfully escaped the accident. Meanwhile, the authorities took the accident very seriously and revoked the license for the travel company that organized the trip, Bulgaria national investigator told during the press conference. Also, the government suspended two customs officers as they allowed the bus to pass the border without a vehicle license.

(With inputs from AP)

(Image: AP)