Tragic Bus Crash, Kills 46

^{PHOTO: AFTERMATH OF BUS CRASH}

INTERNATIONAL: At least 46 people were killed when a bus with North Macedonian plates has caught fire and crashed on a highway in western Bulgaria on Tuesday.

Bulgarian Interim Interior Minister says that people are clustered inside. They are burnt to ash.All the victims need to be identified, person by person, which will be very difficult.

Seven people who leapt from the burning bus were rushed to the Pirogov emergency hospital in the Bulgarian capital Sofia and were in a stable condition. They had suffered burns and one had a broken leg. They narrated that the bus was packed with tourists who were mostly Macedonian.

The bus slammed into a barrier and went up in flames while returning from Istanbul in Turkey to North Macedonia around 2AM on Tuesday. Twelve children were among the dead, including twin boys, aged four.Only four men and three women survived the disaster.

The scale of the loss has caused shock and grief in Bulgaria and North Macedonia, where three days of national mourning have been declared. Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has described the crash as "horrifying". It is considered the deadliest bus accident in the Balkan country's history.

Ferry Capsizes in Sri Lanka, Kills 6

^{PHOTO: NAVY DIVERS IN WATER CONDUCTING SEARCH AND RESCUE NAVY PERSONNEL ON BOAT LARGE CROWD OF VILLAGERS GATHERING AT EDGE OF WATER}

A ferry capsizes in eastern Sri Lanka on Tuesday, killing at least six people as confirmed by the police. Twenty people have been rescued but it is not certain how many people were on the ferry. The boat can carry between 25-35 people. Four children were among the dead and another child is in intensive care.

Navy divers have suspended rescue efforts after searching the area of the lagoon where the rudimentary vessel overturned, but will remain on standby. 17 people have been rescued so far.

It was not immediately known what caused the ferry to capsize. The ferry was traveling from Kurinchakeni to the town of Kinniya along the country’s eastern coast and about 260 kilometers northeast of the capital, Colombo.

Ferry accidents are relatively rare in Sri Lanka because many locations are now connected by bridges. However, the bridge that connects the two towns has been closed for repairs, forcing people to use rudimentary vessels to cross the river.

 Rocket Factory Explodes in Serbia

^{PHOTO: IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH OF ROCKET FACTORY EXPLOSION IN BELGRADE, SERBIA}

And…At least two people lost their lives and 16 were injured in a series of explosions in the storage area of a private rocket manufacturing facility, Serbian turbojet and rocket engine maker EDePro in a southern suburb of Belgrade on Tuesday. Around 40 employees were at the production facility at the time of the explosions.

An eyewitness recalls he saw two intermittent traces in the sky, as if someone had actually fired two rockets into the air, and between them a large smoke mushroom cloud. At the same time, he heard two explosions, as if someone was firing rockets. The smoke mushroom was huge. All the people living in the surrounding houses went outside.

Eleven firefighting vehicles with 36 officers were sent to the scene and participated in the rescue operation. The firefighters and rescuers have stabilized the situation and are searching the terrain using a drone with thermal imaging equipment to locate any more victims and injured persons.

500 rockets with 30 kilograms of explosive each have been stored inside the facility. In 2008, three people were injured in a similar explosion at EDePro.