North Macedonian tourist bus crashes in flames in Bulgaria, killing 45

A member of the media stands near a police car, close to the site where at least 45 people were killed when a bus with North Macedonian plates caught fire on a highway, near the village of Bosnek, in Bulgaria, November 23, 2021. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov

SOFIA/SKOPJE (Reuters) - A bus carrying tourists from North Macedonia crashed in flames on a highway in western Bulgaria before daybreak on Tuesday, killing at least 45 people, including 12 children, Bulgarian officials said.

The cause of the accident was unclear but the bus appeared to have hit a highway barrier either before or after it caught fire, authorities said.