Crash Of Tourist Bus In Bulgaria Kills At Least 16

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