site.bta20th Anniversary of Lim Bus Crash Which Killed 12 Bulgarian Children, Is Commemorated in Serbian Village

A ceremony near the Serbian village of Gostun on Thursday marked the 20th anniversary of a bus crash in which 12 Bulgarian children from Svishtov died in the waters of the Lim River. The event began with a prayer service. Wreaths and flowers were laid at the "Angels of Lim" monument and the "The Twelve Roses" monument in memory of the children.

On April 4, 2004, a group of 34 students and 16 adults from Svishtov were returning from a trip to Dubrovnik. On a bend along a mountain road, their bus fell into the Lim River near the Serbian village of Gostun, located between the towns of Bijelo Polje in Montenegro and Prijepolje in Serbia. The bus sank in a matter of minutes in the river. Local people and the local football team from Bijelo Pole came to the rescue of the children. 38 were rescued. Three citizens of Montenegro and representatives of local institution and people, were honoured for their rescue efforts, among them the head of the head of the Serbian fire service, the mayor and police chief of Prijepolje. 

The observances at Gostun were attended by Vice President Iliana Yotova, the then President of Montenegro Filip Vujanovic, the Bulgarian ambassadors to Montenegro and Serbia Stefan Dimitrov and Petko Doykov, Svishtov Mayor Gencho Genchev, Bijelo Polje Mayor Petar Smolovic, Prijepolje Mayor Drago Popadic.

"One of the most important human lessons is to be good people, as the rescuers from Lim showed us," Vice President Iliana Iotova said. "I am here together with the Bulgarian delegation and the Bulgarian ambassadors in three countries to thank all the volunteers, rescuers, firefighters, divers, doctors who did the impossible to save the few survivors of the crash," she said.

According to her, the rescuers knew that with every action a human life was saved and they did what they could. "These are the real people among us, and we owe them tremendous appreciation and gratitude. No one made them do it, only the deep humanity threw them into the waters of Lim," Iotova said. "We are sure that everything that could be done was done and we know that this can only be done by brothers for brothers," she stressed.

The Vice President recalled that the rescuers were awarded with the highest "Madara Horseman" order by President Georgi Parvanov and were granted Bulgarian citizenship. In her words, "this was the least we could have done." "In search of truth over the past 20 years, lasting ties have been established between Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro – between Svishtov, Prijepolje and Bijelo Polje," said Svishtov Mayor Gencho Genchev in Bijelo Polje during the official commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the tragic crash.

"Unfortunately, the occasion that has brought us together is not pleasant, but in life it often happens that sadness unites us the most," he added. "That memory will never fade because there is no greater pain than losing a child," he said.

Aa result of the efforts of the children’s parents, in Bulgaria the legal framework regulating the transport of students was changed in order to ensure their security and safety. Amendments were made to the Public Education Act and the Tourism Act to regulate school trips, Genchev said.

He expressed gratitude to the residents of Bijelo Polje and Prijepolje, who participated directly in the rescue actions.  He thanked the local authorities in both cities and the governments of Serbia and Montenegro for their commitment to this day, as well as the Bulgarian institutions for demonstrating their place and role in solving problems related to Bulgarian legislation and responding promptly in any emergency situations.  During the ceremony, the names of people who participated at the risk of their lives in the rescue operations and the accommodation of survivors were recalled. Videos from the archive of Montenegrin media and BNT about the tragic incident were presented.

In Bulgaria, a commemorative service was held in Svishtov in the presence of members of the families of the 12 children.