PEVTSITE, BULGARIA – A tragic accident occurred at a railway crossing in the village of Pevtsite, near Karlovo, on Tuesday afternoon, when a passenger train collided with a horse-drawn carriage, killing a 14-year-old child and critically injuring the adult driver.
The incident was reported shortly after 2:20 p.m. on July 2, according to local police. Preliminary findings suggest the cart entered the railway crossing despite warning barriers being lowered, a violation of crossing safety regulations.
The carriage, carrying a 31-year-old man and his two children aged 14 and 10, was struck while passing between the village and the Podbalkanski road. Emergency services responded swiftly to the scene. The force of the impact killed the 14-year-old child instantly.
The father sustained life-threatening injuries and was immediately transported to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment. The younger child was also examined on-site by medical personnel but was found to have suffered no serious injuries.
Local authorities, including traffic police and railway safety inspectors, cordoned off the area to conduct an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collision. A full scene inspection was launched to determine whether the driver attempted to bypass the lowered barriers or failed to notice them in time.
The passenger train involved in the accident was brought to a halt, and all operations along that section of track have been suspended pending the completion of the inquiry. Officials from the National Railway Infrastructure Company confirmed that both train operators were tested for alcohol at the scene, with both tests returning negative results.
“This is a devastating loss,” said a spokesperson for the Karlovo police department. “Our teams are working closely with railway authorities to understand how this happened and to prevent such tragedies in the future.”
The incident has reignited concerns over railway crossing safety in rural areas of Bulgaria, where horse-drawn carts are still commonly used and crossings may lack advanced warning systems.
Residents of Pevtsite have expressed shock and sadness at the fatal collision. “This village is small; everyone knows each other. It’s heartbreaking,” one local resident told reporters.
Authorities have not yet released the names of those involved, and the investigation remains ongoing. More details are expected to follow as officials gather surveillance data and witness statements to reconstruct the events leading up to the crash.