Two traffic accidents occurred on Friday, June 12, in western Hungary within hours of each other on the same highway, claiming the lives of eight foreign nationals, according to authorities.

A police spokesperson stated that the victims’ nationalities had not yet been officially confirmed. Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar offered his condolences to the victims’ families via Facebook, saying that on behalf of the government he wished to extend his sincere sympathies to the relatives of the eight foreign nationals who lost their lives in the accident.

Both crashes took place in the early morning hours near the city of Gyor, approximately 122 kilometers west of Budapest. At around 4:30 a.m., a truck collided with a construction vehicle, killing the truck driver on the spot, according to a police statement.

The Second Crash Followed Close Behind

Shortly afterward, at around 5:10 a.m., a minibus carrying nine people collided with another heavy vehicle that had stopped due to the traffic conditions created by the first accident. Seven of the minibus passengers were killed instantly, while two others were injured, according to the same statement.

A police spokesperson told AFP that what is known so far is that both the truck and the minibus were carrying Moldovan license plates. According to the Hungarian news site 24.hu, citing police sources, all of the victims were men.