At least 12 people were killed after a passenger bus carrying Polish tourists veered off a highway in Hungary early Sunday and overturned in a ditch, authorities said.
The horrific crash happened at around 1 a.m. on the M3 motorway near the town of Mezőkeresztes, roughly 87 miles east of Budapest.
Police said the bus was traveling east when it suddenly left the roadway and flipped over.
Investigators believe the driver may have fallen asleep behind the wheel, causing the deadly accident. The driver was taken into custody as authorities continued investigating exactly what happened.
Hungary’s National Directorate for Disaster Management said 57 passengers and two drivers were on board at the time.
Several people were trapped beneath the overturned bus, forcing emergency crews to launch a major rescue operation.
All of the passengers were Polish citizens, according to Polish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maciej Wewiór.
The group was reportedly from Poland’s southeastern Podkarpackie region and had been returning home after a pilgrimage to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
At least 10 people suffered serious injuries in addition to the 12 fatalities, Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar said.
Magyar offered condolences to the victims’ families and thanked emergency crews who rushed to the crash scene.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki also responded to the tragedy, saying he felt “deep sorrow” over the deaths.
“I join the families and loved ones of the victims in prayer and deep sympathy,” Nawrocki wrote.
Authorities were continuing to investigate the crash as families in Poland waited for more information about the victims and survivors.
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