Dear citizens,

Distinguished representatives of the media,

Allow me in these difficult moments of grief and pain for the whole country to express my deepest condolences to the families and relatives of those killed in the tragic car accident that occurred in Bulgaria, sharing the weight of the irreparable loss. Although it is difficult to find words of consolation, in these tragic moments, I want to say as a member of the Government and as a person, that we stay together with the families, and the institutions are here to provide support and assistance as needed, ie it is already certain that the organization and the costs of returning the victims of the accident to the country will be borne by the state.

This morning I immediately contacted my Bulgarian colleague Rashkov by phone and informed him that a team from the Ministry of Interior from the uniformed and traffic police, as well as from the Department for Forensic-Technical Investigations and Expertise left for Bulgaria and was available to help and support the Bulgarian colleagues.

In addition to representatives of the Ministry of Interior, representatives of several professional services from our country arrived in Bulgaria and offered expert assistance, as well as our
prosecutor's office who will provide the colleagues from the Bulgarian Public Prosecutor's Office and hand over all the necessary documentation. I expect a quick and comprehensive reaction of the competent services and I believe that with joint cooperation we will soon have an answer to all the ambiguities about this tragedy.

What I can say so far and is in the domain of information available to the Ministry of Interior is that the last check for technical functionality of the bus was made on October 5 this year, and the investigation procedure will provide answers to all open questions.

Our country and Bulgaria are together in the grief for the victims of the tragic bus accident on the highway "Struma" in Bulgaria, but also in the activities to clarify the causes of the bus accident, to identify the deceased, to provide assistance and treatment to the victims, for which we are also grateful. At the same time, our thoughts and prayers remain with the injured. I sincerely wish them a speedy recovery and return to their homes as soon as possible, next to their loved ones.

Thank you.