A devastating bus accident in eastern Hungary has left at least 12 people dead and 10 others seriously injured. The bus, which was transporting 57 Polish pilgrims home from a religious shrine in Bosnia, veered off the motorway near the town of Mezokeresztes and overturned into a ditch in the early hours of Sunday morning. Authorities currently suspect that the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel, and he has since been taken into police custody as the investigation continues.

Survivors described the scene as a nightmare, recounting how the impact ripped seats from the floor and left passengers trapped under the wreckage. One survivor, Helena Tluczek, described the harrowing ordeal from her hospital bed, detailing how she managed to pull herself and her sister to safety despite her own painful injuries. As hospital staff in four nearby cities work to treat the wounded, Polish officials have expressed their profound sorrow over the loss, marking this as the deadliest incident of its kind in Hungary since a similar tragedy occurred back in 2002.