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Twelve people have been killed and dozens injured after a Polish tourist bus veered off Hungary’s M3 motorway and overturned in a roadside ditch near Mezőkeresztes in eastern Hungary early on Sunday, 16 August. Hungarian police said preliminary evidence indicated the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel before the 24-tonne coach left the carriageway at about 1am local time. The driver has been taken into custody as authorities investigate the fatal crash.
The coach was travelling east towards Nyíregyháza when it left the motorway, approximately 140 kilometres east of Budapest. It was carrying 57 passengers and two drivers, according to Hungary’s state news agency MTI. The vehicle overturned after entering a ditch, leaving passengers trapped inside and beneath parts of the wreckage.
Emergency crews faced a difficult operation as they worked to reach passengers trapped beneath the overturned coach. Hungarian firefighters initially attempted to raise the rear axle of the vehicle to create enough space to remove those trapped underneath, before cranes were brought in to lift the entire bus.
Initial reports said 35 of the 57 passengers had been rescued during the early stages of the emergency response. Hungary’s ambulance service reported that one person suffered life-threatening injuries, while nine others sustained serious injuries and a further 37 were treated for minor injuries.
The scale of the casualties meant emergency services had to coordinate a major roadside response through the early hours of Sunday. Several injured passengers were taken to hospital for treatment, while police secured the crash site and began examining the circumstances surrounding the vehicle leaving the motorway.
Hungarian police said their preliminary assessment suggested fatigue may have played a central role in the crash. Investigators believe the driver may have fallen asleep while travelling along the motorway, causing the coach to leave the road.
The driver was subsequently taken into custody as part of the investigation. Authorities have not yet announced a final determination of responsibility, and the suspected cause remains subject to further examination.
Investigators are expected to establish the precise sequence of events, including the driver’s condition, journey and rest periods, the mechanical condition of the coach and the circumstances immediately before it left the M3 motorway.
Daily Dazzling Dawn understands that the investigation remains at an early stage, meaning the preliminary assessment that the driver fell asleep should not be treated as a final finding.
The crash involved a Polish-registered coach carrying Polish tourists, prompting an immediate response from Polish officials. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said the Polish government was in contact with Hungarian authorities following the incident, while Polish President Karol Nawrocki expressed sorrow for those killed and sympathy for their families.
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar also offered his condolences to the victims’ families and expressed his wishes for a speedy recovery for those injured. He thanked the emergency responders involved in the rescue operation.
The tragedy has also renewed attention on the risks associated with long-distance coach travel, particularly overnight journeys in which driver fatigue can become a significant safety concern. However, investigators will need to establish whether fatigue was the sole factor or whether other circumstances contributed to the accident.
The M3 motorway is a major route linking Budapest with northeastern Hungary, including the city of Nyíregyháza. The crash occurred during the overnight period, when visibility, fatigue and other driving conditions can present additional challenges for road users.
Authorities are now expected to continue examining the coach and the surrounding crash site as part of the investigation. Evidence gathered from the vehicle, road surface and other available sources could help determine how the coach left the motorway and why it overturned.
For the families of the 12 people who died, however, the investigation will offer little immediate comfort. Hungarian and Polish officials have expressed condolences as hospitals continue treating survivors.
The priority for emergency services remains the care of those injured, while investigators work to establish exactly what happened during the final moments before the Polish tourist coach left the M3 motorway.
