A Macedonian bus returning home from a trip to Istanbul caught fire overnight, while crossing through Bulgaria. Almost all of the passengers were killed in the tragedy. Most of the killed are Macedonian citizens, but reportedly there are also Serbian citizens among them.

Initial reports are that 46 people died – 12 of them minors. Six survivors are being treated in Sofia with non-life threatening injuries. Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said that most of the victims are young people who were returning from a field trip in Istanbul. The accident happened on the Sofia – Dupnica highway.

 We still don’t know whether the fire broke out because of a traffic accident. It’s a major tragedy, we feel pain for the families of the victims. May God rest their souls, said Zaev who is going to Sofia.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and caretaker Prime Minister Svetlan Stoev spoke with Zaev overnight. Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani is also heading to Bulgaria.