The death of 18 people in the December 7 road crash close to Byala made the number of traffic accident victims in Bulgaria approach the critical annual figure of 1000, Interior Minister Roumen Petkov said.
A new bridge would be constructed soon above Yantra River to avoid similar accidents in the future, Petkov said as quoted by Novinar newspaper.
A truck and a passenger bus collided on the bridge as a result of break failure. The bus fell into the river. A number of people were seriously injured. One of them is a seven-year old, which was in critical condition until recently. The girl underwent surgery and was beginning to stabilise, Novinar reported.
On December 10 Bulgaria announced a day of mourning to honour the 18 victims
People from Byala said that the truck driver was responsible for the crash. Witnesses said that the driver tried to overtake another vehicle breaking road safety regulations.
Rousse regional prosecutor Ognyan Basarboliev will demand for the driver to remain under arrest. The driver was detained immediately after the accident. In case he is found guilty, the man could spend from five to 15 years in prison, Novinar said.
