At least 45 people were killed when a bus carrying North Macedonian tourists caught fire on a highway in western Bulgaria on Tuesday, officials said.

There were children among the victims, and seven people with burns were rushed to hospital in the capital Sofia, the head of the fire safety department at the interior ministry, Nikolai Nikolov, told private BTV television.

"At least 45 people were killed after a bus caught fire and crashed, or crashed and then caught fire," Nikolov said.

The accident happened around 2:00 a.m (0000 GMT), he said. The site of the accident is cut off.

The site of the accident was immediately cordoned off and Bulgarian interim Prime Minister Stefan Yanev rushed to the scene of the tragedy.

Authorities have not yet made a statement over how the accident took place, or the cause of the crash.

Most of the victims were from North Macedonia, an official from the North Macedonia embassy in Sofia told BTV.

(Source: Reuters)

LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/24108

*	NAME
*	COMMENT
4 DIGITS BELOW
*

	�UK national scandal�: 20,000 mental health patients �raped, sexually assaulted� in NHS care
	US: 3 dead in shooting at Texas apartment complex
	UN agency says over half a million Palestinians face �catastrophic hunger� in Gaza
	Survivors of Russian charter flight crash transferred to Kabul
	Pro-Israel lobby ousted ABC journalist, prompting staff to call for industrial action
	UNICEF: Afghan earthquakes leave 100,000 children in urgent need of aid this winter
	Thousands rage in Toronto against Israeli genocide as Gaza war marks 100 days
	Thousands rally in front of White House to demand ceasefire in Gaza
	Increased Taliban arrests lead to Kabul families restricting women�s movement
	Taliban arrests dozens of women in Kabul for �improper hijab,� says women�s group