Twelve killed as Polish bus veers off Hungarian motorway

Sun Sep 06 2026 02:17:16 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A tragic night crash on Hungary’s M3 motorway left 12 dead and dozens injured when a Polish pilgrim bus overturned.

At about 01:00 local time on Sunday, a 57‑passenger Polish tourist bus left the M3 motorway and plunged into a ditch. Police say the driver fell asleep at the wheel. Fifteen people have been rescued; the dead number reached twelve, with many others injured. Rescue crews tackled the overturned vehicle, and authorities opened investigations. Prime Ministers of Poland and Hungary expressed condolences, and aid flights were dispatched.

Twelve killed as Polish bus veers off Hungarian motorway

The crashed bus on the motorway — The bus came off the motorway and overturned into a ditch running beside the road.

At about 01:00 local time (23:00 GMT) on Sunday, a Polish pilgrim bus carrying 57 passengers left Hungary’s M3 motorway and rolled into a roadside ditch.

Police investigators believe the driver fell asleep at the wheel and was subsequently taken into custody. The 24‑tonne bus overturned, trapping several people beneath the vehicle.

Firefighters and ambulance crews worked to lift the rear axle before a crane lifted the entire bus. Thirty‑five passengers and two drivers were rescued so far, according to state media, while the death toll rose to twelve.

Hungarian medical services treated one person with life‑threatening injuries, nine with serious injuries and 37 with minor injuries.

Prime Minister Péter Magyar offered his sincere condolences to the victims’ families and wished a speedy recovery for those injured. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk echoed the sentiment, explaining that a special aircraft was dispatched to aid the injured and bring foreign ministry officials forward.

The bus had been returning from Bosnia and Herzegovina, carrying pilgrims from Poland’s southern Podkarpacie region, as reported by the Polish news agency PAP.

Foreign Ministers from both countries have begun investigations into the incident, with Polish official Radosław Sikorski affirming that Hungarian authorities are questioning the driver.