A Syrian national was killed and seven others injured, three of them critically, when a car slammed into a public transport bus in Sofia early Friday, Bulgarian police said.
The collision occurred at about 1:51 a.m. local time between Konstantin Velichkov and Vuzkresenie boulevards, when a car driven by a 21-year-old man with only two weeks of driving experience struck the bus, which was stopped at a red light.
“The driver received his license on August 1 and has already been issued six citations for minor violations,” said Martin Tsurinski, deputy head of Sofia’s traffic police.
The only passenger on the bus, a Syrian man, died at the scene. The bus driver was critically injured, as were two young women travelling in the car. The car’s driver sustained lighter injuries, and the bus conductor and another passenger were treated for less serious wounds.
Police said alcohol and drug tests on the car’s driver were negative. Excessive speed is the main suspected cause, and witnesses reported the vehicle was travelling “extremely fast” before impact.
The car was not registered to the driver, police said. A criminal investigation has been opened.