Pilgrimage turns into tragedy, coach crash results in at least 19 deaths

Nineteen Poles were killed and 32 injured, some seriously, when a bus taking them on a pilgrimage crashed near Hungary's popular Lake Balaton resort at 1 a.m. on Monday. The vehicle overturned while going through a roundabout on the main highway from Budapest to the Croatian capital, Zagreb. The bus, carrying 49 pilgrims, including a priest and two drivers, was on a religious pilgrimage to Medjugorje, a shrine to the Virgin Mary in southeast Bosnia. It is still unclear what the cause of the accident was. The roundabout was built recently to try and prevent crashes at a well-known accident black spot. It is clearly marked and there were no signs the bus tried to brake as it approached. Ferenc Vass, spokesman for the local police, said it appeared the driver, thought to be among the dead, had not realised he was approaching the traffic circle. Travelling at around 80 kph (50 mph), it veered into its centre, overturned and careered into a ditch, landing on its roof. Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy telephoned Premier Miller to offer his condolences. Interior Minister Monika Lamperth visited the crash scene, and the Polish authorities transported relatives to the area so they may be with their loved ones. (Reuters)