Bulgaria: Fatal Accident on Trakia Motorway, Fuel Tanker Driver Burnt Like Torch

One of the drivers of the trucks which crashed into each other on Trakia Motorway this morning died minutes after the accident, Deputy City Prosecutor Ivo Iliev told the media.

According to him, when the fuel tank truck collided and the TIR moving in front of it, fire broke out and the tanker went up in flames. According to the fire department, the tanker truck was carrying gasoline and the driver, a foreigner, burnt like a torch.

The incident happened this morning, about 7:30am, on the seventh kilometre of the motorway.

Meanwhile, the prosecutor's office has already opened pre-trial proceedings for violation of traffic rules, resulting in the death of a person.

"Of course, at this point we cannot say what caused the accident. For example, the driver may have been sick. He may have fallen asleep, and it's possible the truck was overtaken by another vehicle. The movement pattern was unusual, eventually it caught fire and, according to initial information, its driver burnt. The information from a moment ago is that he is a foreign citizen," the deputy city prosecutor said further.

Witnesses said the tanker moved weirdly and then barreled into the TIR in front of it, which had Serbian license plates.

On the scene, the inspections continue, and traffic in the direction of Sofia is expected to be resumed soon. However, traffic in the direction of Plovdiv will be restored only after all investigative operations have been completed.