Crash Of Tourist Bus In Bulgaria Kills At Least 16

Firefighters at the crash site near Sofia on August 25

Firefighters at the crash site near Sofia on August 25

The crash of a tourist bus near the Bulgarian capital has killed at least 16 people and injured 26 others, officials say.

Nikolay Gabrovski from Sofia's emergency hospital said five people still had life-threatening injuries on August 26, a day after the tourist bus flipped over on a highway.

Police said the accident, near the town of Svoge, occurred about 50 kilometers from Sofia shortly after 5 p.m. local time, and that the bus crushed four other vehicles.

They said the bus was carrying 33 pilgrims from the village of Bozhurishte, north of the capital, and a driver.

The passengers were on their way to visit a monastery.

An investigation into the cause of the crash has been launched.

Bulgaria, the European Union's poorest member, has a network of roads that suffer from poor maintenance.

The Bulgarian government has declared August 27 to be a national day of mourning.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and dpa