Major multi-vehicle crash shuts down Hungarian motorway, causing 15-km-long traffic jam

A serious traffic accident involving a lorry, five passenger cars and a trailer has brought traffic to a standstill on Hungary’s M1 motorway on Saturday afternoon, forcing authorities to completely close one side of the highway near the town of Ács. The crash caused long tailbacks stretching over 15 kilometres and prompted a large-scale emergency response.

According to Hungary’s road traffic information service Útinform, the accident occurred shortly after midday on the Vienna-bound M1 motorway, one of the country’s busiest transport corridors linking Budapest with western Hungary and Austria. Due to ongoing roadworks in the area, traffic had been diverted into a temporary contraflow system, and the collision took place in this redirected section at kilometre marker 88.

Lorry, cars and trailer collide in temporary traffic diversion

Reports indicate that a heavy goods vehicle collided with five cars and a trailer, which was believed to be towed by one of the passenger vehicles. The circumstances of the accident are still under investigation, but the impact was severe enough to trap two people inside one of the vehicles.

According to Blikk, professional firefighters from Komárom and Tatabánya, supported by local municipal and volunteer fire brigades from Ács, carried out a complex technical rescue operation. The trapped occupants were freed from the wreckage using specialised equipment.

Due to the seriousness of the injuries, an air ambulance helicopter was also dispatched to the scene, alongside ground ambulance units. Authorities have not yet released official information about the condition of those involved.