The Bulgarian Transport Minister, Petar Mutafchiev, bestowed Tuesday the crew of the hijacked Sofia-Varna bus, the Ministry's official awards for showing professionalism and composure during the incident.

The Minister congratulated the two bus drivers - Dobrin Ivanov and Krum Krumov and the bus attendant, Kremena Yordanova, for their superior and adequate reaction and presence of mind.

"Their training in how to react to similar situations shows that all crews in Bulgaria need to be educated in ways to deal with emergency situations in order to ensure the passengers' safety and security. Because of that, we should also praise the management of the "Biomet"company and encourage all companies to follow their example," the Minister stated during the ceremony.

The "Biomet"bus, servicing the regular Sofia - Varna line, was hijacked at gun point one week ago by 33-year-old Miroslav Blazhev from the town of Sevlievo. Ater holding the passengers and the crew hostage at a gas station for over one hour, Blazhev turned himself to the authorities. It is believed that the hijacker has mental and health problems.

After the incident that endangered the lives of the bus crew and 36 passengers, the owners of all Bulgarian bus companies have requested more security measures on buses and bus stations.

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