All known so far for the accident that rocked the region

The accident occurred on a highway west of Bulgaria, where a bus of 53 passengers -- most of North Macedonia -- was involved in flames in the early hours of November 23rd.

There are at least 12 children among the victims. An official from the hospital in Sofia has said seven people are being treated who have managed to leave the bus. Their condition is stable.

According to Macedonian officials, the majority of the victims were from Skopje and were returning from Istanbul, Turkey, where they had stayed on a three-day visit.

The accident occurred on Struma Highway about 45 km west of Sofia. No other vehicles were involved in this accident.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is under way.

The chief of the investigation service in Bulgaria, Borislav Sarafov, said four buses from North Macedonia travel agencies had entered Bulgaria from Turkey in late hours Monday.

The driver's human error or technical problems are the first two versions for the” accident, Sarafov told reporters.

Earlier Tuesday, Bulgarian Interior Minister Boyko Raskov said the bus destroyed the highway's defence rail, adding that fire was likely caused by bus contact with the protection rail.

Organised crime and corruption prosecutor Vilma Ruskoska said the tourist agency is being investigated and that she has contacted its owner.

He's here at the scene, where the bus is. I talked to him briefly and he said 20 years of transportation. So far there has been no incident. That's what he told me. But, we will provide full documentation to all of the company's buses, when they are registered, when they have been for technical control and we will send them to colleagues here in Bulgaria for further investigations”, Macedonian prosecutor Ruskoska has declared.

Stanisislav Vladimirov, chairman of the Pernik municipality located near the site where the accident occurred, said there are often accidents on this highway because the road is not properly leveled and traffic is heavily heavy.

Besides, the road was wet because of the rain, so the reasons could be very different”, he said.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Stefan Yanev said the tragedy has put Bulgaria ahead of a major challenge to find out the causes of the accident as soon as possible.

The “is a tragedy that has shaken Bulgaria, putting a situation in place to react very quickly. We'll do everything we can to get this traffic accident investigated. Find out why 46 lost their lives and what can be done for the injured. Now everything is in the hands of the investigative organs and only then can we comment on the cause and exactly what happened. At the moment, the only thing we can say is that we have a great tragedy and take the opportunity to express my condolences to the relatives of the victims”, Bulgarian Prime Minister Stefan Yanev has declared.

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, along with Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani and Health Minister Venko Filipce, have gone to Bulgaria.

I am in contact with Prime Minister Stefan Janev, who has already visited people. I was able to talk to one of the survivors. He explained that they were sleeping on the bus when a severe explosion was heard. They could break one of the glass and save some people. Unfortunately, the others failed. It's a terrible tragedy. Most of them are children under 18 years of age, and others are young about 20-30. Most of them are our citizens, but there are also from Serbia”, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has declared.

Northern Macedonia Health Minister Venko Filipce after visiting the injured at Sofia hospital, said they are in stable health condition. According to him, among those who have survived the serious accident, there is also a 16-year-old girl.

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Bujar Osmani has said most of the victims are from Skopje, who were returning from Turkey, where they had gone for a three-day visit to Istanbul.

Meanwhile, leaders of Western Balkan states and European Union officials have expressed their solidarity with Northern Macedonia after the accident.

Bulgaria has faced several deadly road accidents in recent years.

Among the latter has occurred in 2018, when 17 Bulgarian tourists have died after the bus slide and roll as a result of humidity.

Accidents are usually caused by road conditions, old cars, and speed.