“It’s terrible news. The situation is very sad,” German Prime Minister Angela Merkel said after speaking with her Bulgarian counterpart, Boyko Borissov. “Of course we will do everything that we can for the families of the victims and also for the injured people, all of whom I’m sure we will find a special place for in our country.”
“I’m sorry that news came about the accident on the way to the airport. My thoughts are with the people who were hurt,” British Prime Minister Theresa May said.
European Union leaders condemned the crash.
“People have died in a completely preventable crash,” said Romano Prodi, a former European Commission president. “The crash that occurred on the way to the airport doesn’t look like an accident at all, it’s a cause of fatal accident.”
Human cargo usually travels in separate sections of the passenger carriages, and the crash appeared to have happened inside the truck.