site.btaNine People Die and 15 Are Injured as Bus and Truck Crash

Sofia, November 17 (BTA) - Nine people died and fifteen were injured Friday as a bus and a truck crashed head-on near Lovech on a road linking Sofia with the northeast. The cause of the accident is yet to be established, said the Interior Ministry.

The victims were among 27 passengers in the bus, all of them with impaired eyesight. They were on their way to their home town of Pernik, near Sofia, returning from a trip to the northern town of Dryanovo.

Six people died in the crash and another three died of their injuries on their way to, or in, hospital.

The injured people were rushed to the Lovech hospital. Hospitals in nearby Pleven as well as in Sofia and Veliko Turnovo have offered to join the efforts, if needed.

Some of the injured passengers are reported in critical condition.

The road where the crash occurred remains closed to traffic and investigators are still inspecting the crash site.

The Transport Ministry has launched its own probe of the accident.

The town of Pernik has declared Saturday a day of morning and all festive events were called off.