Driver in custody after bus in Hungary crashes into ditch, killing 12 and injuring at least 10

Driver likely fell asleep at the wheel, police say, and has been taken into custody

A passenger bus travelling on a highway in Hungary early Sunday went off the road and into a ditch where it overturned, killing 12 and injuring others.

The bus carrying a group of Polish tourists was on the eastbound lanes near the town of Mezokeresztes when it overturned on the M3 motorway around 140 kilometres east of Budapest at around 1 a.m.

In a statement, police said the bus driver likely fell asleep and has been taken into custody.

Hungary's National Directorate for Disaster Management said in a statement that 57 passengers and two drivers were on the bus and several passengers were trapped under the vehicle after it overturned.

Polish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maciej Wewiór told the news agency PAP on Sunday that everyone on the bus has Polish citizenship.

Passengers returning from pilgrimage

People from southeastern Podkarpackie region were returning from a pilgrimage in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the regional government in Rzeszow, Poland, said in a Facebook post.

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Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar wrote in a statement on Facebook that at least 10 people were seriously injured. He offered condolences to the families of the victims and thanked rescue workers who were dispatched to the scene.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki expressed "deep sorrow" over the accident, writing in a post on X: "I join the families and loved ones of the victims in prayer and deep sympathy."