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Twelve dead and 10 injured in tourist bus crash in Hungary after driver 'fell asleep at the wheel'

The Polish bus was travelling eastbound near the town of Mezokeresztes when it overturned on the M3 motorway around 87 miles east of Hungary's capital, Budapest, at around 1am on Sunday

[A Polish bus overturned on a Hungarian highway early Sunday, August 16, 2026, killing 12 people and leaving at least 10 with serious injuries]

View 3 Images

A Polish bus overturned on a Hungarian highway early Sunday, August 16, 2026, killing 12 people and leaving at least 10 with serious injuries(Image: Zoltan MATHE / MTI / AFP via Getty Images)

Twelve people have been killed and dozens more have been left injured after a tourist coach crashed on a motorway in Hungary, with police indicating the driver most likely dozed off at the wheel.

The Polish bus was heading eastbound near the town of Mezokeresztes when it overturned on the M3 motorway, approximately 87 miles east of the Hungarian capital, Budapest, at around 1am on Sunday.

Emergency crews attempted to lift the rear axle of the 24-tonne vehicle to free passengers trapped beneath it before cranes were brought in to shift the entire coach, according to local reports.

In an official statement, police indicated the driver had in all likelihood fallen asleep at the wheel, triggering the crash, and confirmed he had been taken into custody.

[This aerial view shows rescue workers and other officials working at the wreckage of an overturned Polish tourist bus on the M3 motorway near Mezokeresztes, about 150 km east of the Hungarian capital Budapest, on August 16, 2026]

View 3 Images

This aerial view shows rescue workers and other officials working at the wreckage of an overturned Polish tourist bus on the M3 motorway near Mezokeresztes, about 150 km east of the Hungarian capital Budapest, on August 16, 2026(Image: Zoltan MATHE / MTI / AFP via Getty Images)

Hungary's disaster management service confirmed at 3am that emergency personnel had managed to rescue 35 people from the coach, though others remained trapped underneath, reports the Mirror.

Hungarian Prime Minister Pter Magyar confirmed that at least 12 people had died in the tragedy. He extended his condolences to the families of those who died and praised the rescue workers who were deployed to the scene.

He wrote: "12 people lost their lives and at least ten were seriously injured during the night, when a Polish coach overturned into a ditch on the M3 motorway."

According to Hungarian Interior Minister Gbor Psfai, there were 47 people on board the bus, with a number of those rescued sustaining serious injuries. A statement from him read: "In the bus accident overnight on the M3 motorway, a bus with Polish license plate overturned. The police and firefighters went to the scene, as well as civilian assistance arrived to move the injured vehicle.

[Rescue workers and other officials work at the wreckage of an overturned Polish tourist bus on the M3 motorway near Mezokeresztes, about 150 km east of the Hungarian capital Budapest]

View 3 Images

Rescue workers and other officials work at the wreckage of an overturned Polish tourist bus on the M3 motorway near Mezokeresztes, about 150 km east of the Hungarian capital Budapest(Image: Zoltan MATHE / MTI / AFP via Getty Images)

"According to current information in the accident, 12 people were killed. There were 47 people travelling on the bus, some of them were seriously injured. My sincere condolences to the families of the victims and thank you for the work of those involved in the rescue. The driver of the vehicle who suffered the accident has been taken into custody."

Meanwhile, Polish Foreign Minister Radosaw Sikorski took to X to confirm that a "tragic bus accident involving Polish tourists" had taken place in Hungary, adding that his ministry was in close contact with the Hungarian authorities.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki conveyed his "deep sorrow" in response to the devastating incident. "I join the families and loved ones of the victims in prayer and deep sympathy," he wrote in a post on X.

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