site.btaInterior Minister Awards First Responders to Major Traffic Accident in Sofia

Interior Minister Awards First Responders to Major Traffic Accident in Sofia
Interior Minister Awards First Responders to Major Traffic Accident in Sofia
Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev (left) awarding the four firefighters who responded first to a major traffic accident in Sofia, June 8, 2026 (BTA Photo/Minko Chernev)

The four firefighters who were the first to respond to the accident between two cars and a city bus on Chelopeshko Shose in Sofia on June 5, were awarded a collective cash prize of EUR 1,230 at an official ceremony at the Ministry of Interior on Monday. By order of Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev, the firefighters from the Kremikovtsi station were awarded for their heroism, courage and selflessness in saving human lives, high professionalism and quick response.

The honourees are Blagoy Blagoev, Petko Varbin, Danail Vlahov and Todor Yordanov.

Demerdzhiev said: "These officers, whom I awarded today, responded to the accident before they received a signal, and they did everything necessary to contain this tragedy, because it could have been on a completely different scale."

The Minister stressed that the government is taking a strict approach to everyone who endangers people's lives in such accidents.

Regarding the car drivers' licenses that were issued abroad, Demerdzhiev said that the Interior Ministry has checked which countries issue driving licenses under a loose set of rules and, so far, four have been identified – Cyprus, Czechia, Greece and the UK. He said that drivers holding such licenses will be identified, and measures will be taken to adopt relevant amendments, as far as the European legislation allows.

/IV/

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By 09:02 on 19.07.2026 Today`s news

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