Devastating bus crash in Szolnok leaves many severely injured – photos, videos, updated

One of the most devastating bus crashes in Hungary’s traffic history occurred this morning in Szolnok, when a local bus collided with the wall of the Varga Katalin Grammar School. The impact caused the wall to cave in, the front of the bus to be completely destroyed, and numerous people to be injured, many of whom are in a critical condition.

Local bus collides with school wall

The bus crashed into the school wall but, fortunately, caused no injuries inside the classroom because there was no class at the time of the accident. The school itself did not need to be closed; only the damaged classroom was secured with a lock. A large crowd of concerned parents, students, teachers, and local residents gathered at the scene. Police had to disperse part of the crowd to avoid disrupting the rescue operations.

Most of those on the bus did not escape unscathed. According to a local report from szoljon.hu, the accident resulted in at least 30 minor injuries and four serious ones. Emergency response teams, including two helicopter ambulance services, have already arrived and are transporting the injured to nearby hospitals.

Police launches investigation

Disaster relief and rescue services are working tirelessly. The bus has been disconnected from its power supply, and a fallen tree knocked over by the impact has been removed by the official Szolnok fire brigade. The county disaster management team is also on site.

The rescue helicopter takes off with the severely injured victims of the accident:

Several people are reportedly bleeding heavily and receiving continuous care from the attending emergency crews.

Authorities have not yet released details regarding the cause or circumstances of the crash. Updates will follow as more information becomes available.

According to the Hungarian News Agency, Az MTI szerint a Szolnoki Rendőrkapitányságthe police department of Szolnok has launched an investigation for negligent causing of a road traffic accident that resulted in a mass casualty event. According to the police, just before 8 o’clock, a local bus travelling from Szandaszőlős towards the city centre of Szolnok, under circumstances not yet clarified, veered off the Tisza bridge and collided with the wall of Varga Katalin Grammar School at the roundabout.