Twelve dead as Polish pilgrim bus crashes on M3 motorway in Hungary

The accident

In the night of 15 to 16 August, shortly after midnight, a Polish coach crashed on the M3 motorway near Mezőkeresztes, between Budapest and Miskolc, heading toward Nyíregyháza. The vehicle was carrying 59 people: 57 passengers and 2 drivers, all residents of the Podkarpackie voivodeship returning from a pilgrimage to Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to preliminary findings by Hungarian police, the cause was the driver falling asleep. Twelve people were killed, and seven others are fighting for their lives in hospitals in Eger and Miskolc. The total death toll is not yet final, as some of the injured remain in serious or critical condition.

Crisis response

Voivode of Podkarpackie Teresa Kubas-Hul convened the Voivodeship Crisis Management Team on the morning of 16 August. She confirmed that the passenger list is now final and that all those on board were from Podkarpackie, including residents of Rzeszów and the counties of strzyżowski, rzeszowski, leżajski, and jasielski, as well as the municipality of Czudec. No one on the list had an address outside the voivodeship. A hotline was activated for families seeking information about their loved ones, and police are contacting next of kin directly. Psychological support is being organized through local governments in the affected municipalities.

Kubas-Hul described the situation at a press briefing.

This is sad, unpleasant news, that so many people died in the accident. This number is not final, because we know there are people in hospitals in serious, critical condition.

Government action

Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced he had decided to send a special Polish plane to Hungary carrying representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and medical services. He spoke with Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who conveyed condolences to the families and to Poland and pledged continued assistance. Tusk assured that all those affected would receive necessary medical and consular help. A Polish consul is on site to participate in the identification of the 12 victims' bodies. Decisions on transporting the injured back to Poland, whether by ambulance, bus, or air, will be made after doctors assess the patients' condition. The Air Ambulance Service and humanitarian aid are on standby.

Investigation

The District Prosecutor's Office in Krosno has launched an investigation into the crash. Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek wrote on X that the prosecution is taking immediate action to fully clarify the causes and course of the tragedy, and is in close cooperation with Hungarian authorities and consular services. The travel agency that organized the trip is based in Iwonicz-Zdrój; its co-owner was himself a participant in the pilgrimage. Attempts to contact the agency's representatives have so far been unsuccessful. It remains unknown whether any children were on board, as the participant list contains only first names, surnames, and addresses.

Regional mourning

Condolences poured in from across Podkarpackie. Bishop Jan Wątroba of Rzeszów and Bishop Krzysztof Chudzio expressed their sorrow and assured prayers for the dead and injured. Marshal Władysław Ortyl, voivodeship board member Małgorzata Jarosińska-Jedynak, and Rzeszów Mayor Konrad Fijołek all published messages of sympathy. Fijołek noted that among the pilgrims were residents of Rzeszów and the surrounding county. Voivode Kubas-Hul appealed for restraint in the artistic portions of harvest festivals taking place that day across the voivodeship and said she is considering announcing regional mourning after the crisis team concludes its work.