The road accident near Byala caused the death of 19 people, Disaster Management Minister Emel Etem said.

A bus and a truck collided on a bridge close to Byala. Break failure probably caused the accident. Both vehicles fell in Yantra River.

A number of passengers were wounded and taken to the hospitals in Byala and Rousse.

Etem said that all passengers had been taken out of the bus. Rescue works started soon after the accident but were hindered by the heavy fog.

Official information on the number and names of people who traveled in the bus has not  been announced yet.

Among the ministers who traveled to the accident site were Etem, Health Minister Radoslav Gaidarski, Interior Minister Roumen Petkov and Culture Minister Daniel Vulchev.

Gaidarski co-ordinated the work of the two hospitals. The hospital in Byala announced on December 7 that it needed blood donors.

Photo courtesy of government.bg