Polish coach crash in Hungary kills 12 pilgrims returning from Bosnia

Accident on the M3

In the early hours of Sunday, 16 August, around 1:00 AM, a coach carrying 59 Polish citizens (57 passengers and two drivers) left the M3 motorway near the town of Mezőkeresztes in eastern Hungary, fell into a ditch, and overturned. The passengers, primarily residents of the Podkarpackie region, were returning from a pilgrimage in Bosnia and Herzegovina, heading toward the city of Nyíregyháza. Hungarian police said the vehicle was travelling in that direction when the accident occurred. Twelve people were killed. Ten passengers are in serious condition, five of them life-threatening, according to Bartosz Gubernat, spokesperson for the Podkarpackie governor, speaking on TOK FM. The remaining 37 participants sustained minor injuries. Some sources initially reported seven people in very serious condition. The injured are being treated in Hungarian hospitals.

Driver detained, investigation launched

According to a preliminary assessment by Hungarian police, the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel. The person driving the coach was detained. Hungarian services are working to establish the exact course of events and the causes of the crash. On the Polish side, the District Prosecutor's Office in Krosno has opened an investigation and plans to conduct on-site activities with the participation of a Polish prosecutor. Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek said on X that the Polish prosecution remains in close cooperation with Hungarian authorities and in full coordination with consular services. Governor of Podkarpackie Teresa Kubas-Hul convened a meeting of the Voivodeship Crisis Management Team before noon. She said that, according to preliminary findings, all participants on the pilgrimage list are from the Podkarpackie region, and that the process of identifying the 12 victims' bodies is underway.

Government response

At noon, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on X that he had decided to send a special Polish plane to Hungary with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and medical services.

All those affected will receive the necessary medical and consular assistance. We are together in this difficult moment.

Tusk also reported that he had spoken with Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar, thanking him for the assistance provided so far by Hungarian services, rescuers, and doctors. Tusk said Magyar conveyed condolences to the victims' families and to all of Poland.

Military and medical mobilisation

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced that the 1st Transport Aviation Base in Warsaw is preparing a special aircraft to fly to Hungary with a medical team and representatives of the Foreign Affairs and Health ministries. He also ordered the commander of the 8th Transport Aviation Base in Kraków to prepare a CASA aircraft and a military Medical Evacuation Team.

All actions depend on the decisions of the crisis staff, families, and doctors. The military is always ready to help.

Government spokesperson Adam Szłapka told TOK FM that the plane will also carry health ministry representatives and medics who will assist Hungarian services and assess which injured passengers can return directly to Poland. According to RMF FM journalists, the departure is planned for 6:00 PM, and Deputy Health Minister Katarzyna Kacperczyk, who coordinates the Crisis Management Team at the ministry, will be on board. A CASA aircraft with medical equipment remains on standby, with the decision on a second flight to be made by medics on the ground. The Polish Embassy in Hungary has activated a hotline at +36 20 472 9502.