site.btaUPDATED Death Toll in Friday’s Crash in Sofia Rises to Four, Two Are Indian Nationals
Two of the people injured in Friday evening’s traffic accident in Sofia have died in the hospital. The death toll from the accident, which involved two passenger cars and a city bus, has therefore risen to four.
The two passengers who died at the time of the accident are Indian nationals, Ivo Bikov of the Traffic Policy in Sofia told a joint briefing with Sofia Deputy Prosecutor Angel Kanev on Saturday. The two who died in the hospital on Saturday had been in the passenger cars. A total of 17 people were injured, including the drivers of the passenger cars and the bus.
According to the evidence collected so far, the drivers of the two cars were responsible for the accident; they were travelling at speeds between 104 and 150 km/h, probably racing. One of the vehicles struck, causing it to overturn onto one side, while lodging itself in the bus. The subsequent fire would have claimed more lives, were it not for the firefighters' speedy actions, Kanev noted.
The drivers’ alcohol and drug tests came back negative, but blood samples were also taken for further testing, said Kanev. He also said that the drivers of the passenger cars hold driver’s licenses issued in the Czech Republic. However, it remains to be determined whether the documents are genuine. It will be checked whether the drivers have committed traffic violations in other countries as well. In Bulgaria, they have been “fined multiple times for various violations, some for speeding, others for driving without a driver’s license,” Kanev specified. These individuals are known to the Ministry of Interior and the prosecution service, and they have been involved in other criminal proceedings as well, he added.
If found guilty, the two drivers face between 13 and 20 years in prison or a life sentence for causing the death of more than one person and bodily harm to multiple persons, Kanev noted.
Asked by BTA whether there was any data on how long before the accident the drivers had been driving recklessly, Kanev said that they are collecting the camera footage to determine that. He noted that after the crash, the driver of one of the cars obstructed the firefighters’ rescue efforts and also displayed aggression toward the bus driver. His relatives arrived at the scene of the accident, which necessitated “the deployment of additional police forces.”
A total of eight people injured in the accident were admitted to the hospital following the crash. Two are in life-threatening condition.
Commenting on the deadly crash, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Poulev told Nova TV on Saturday that he is confident the Government will take “draconian measures” to implement all levels of oversight, so that such accidents can be minimized in the future. He offered his condolences to the victims' relatives.
/PP/
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