There is of yet no explanation as to what caused the massive bus fire that erupted in Bulgaria, killing 46 people.
Among those identified among the dead are 2 four-year-old twins Luan and Alban Ahmeti, who died alongside their father Avni and mother Jihan. 10 other children are believed to be amongst the dead on the bus that was travelling from Istanbul in Turkey to the North Macedonian capital Skopje.
Most of those on board the bus were tourists who had been visiting the Turkish city, including Albina Belluli, a 23-year-old, who was visiting her fiancée Gazmend Ukali, a 27-year-old, in the city. A number of the dead are said to have been fellow students at a Macedonian primary school, and most victims are known to be under 35-years-old.
Only 7 people of the 53 onboard are known to have escaped alive. They appear to have survived after knocking out the bus windows, and their testimony will be vital in discovering what caused the crash. Police investigators do know that the bus had an accident and hit the central reservation at around 60 miles per hour, but what is unclear is whether the fire started before or after the impact took place. The driver is known to have died at the scene, and witnesses have said that the flames initially emerged from the front of the bus. What this may indicate is that the bus driver was wounded in the crash and that he was then unable to open the doors and allow the other passengers to escape.
Bulgarian Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov, who visited the scene of the crash, said:
"Never in my life seen something more horrifying. The picture is horrifying, the people who were on the bus are turned to charcoal. It is impossible to say how many they were. There were four buses that travelled together, and it is possible that passengers changed buses during the stops."
Chilling footage of the passengers boarding the bus taken hours before the crash, have been circulating across various news outlets.
[Based on reporting by: The Daily Mail]
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