Further evaluation of the bus carrying citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia, which crashed and burned on Struma highway, has revealed one more body. This brings the number of casualties up to 45, as initially reported. This information has been confirmed, for the BNR, by Deputy Prosecutor General and head of the National Investigation Service Borislav Sarafov.

“At 9.15 PM on the night of the tragedy 52 passengers entered the country at Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint, 45 we found inside the bus, 7 are in Pirogov emergency hospital. Regrettably, there is no additional survivor,” Borislav Sarafov said. 

A prosecutor and an investigator departed for Skopje to collect DNA profiles to identify the victims of the bus accident on Struma motorway. Investigators found the remains of 44 people at the scence of the tragic accident. The lists of the passengers who travelled onboard the other 3 buses are yet to be checked.

According to the Bulgarian National Television, it has been established that the name of the Bulgarian citizen Shadi Saleh entered the list of survivors accomodated at the Pirogov Hospital by mistake, as he was admitted for hospital treatment at the same time.

According to bTV, the name of another passenger named Enes has also been established. He was also on the passenger list of Besa Trans company. He booked a trip to Turkey. In Istanbul, he decided not to get on the bus which burned in Bulgaria later, and returned to North Macedonia with another transport company.