VKS, the court of third instance on the 2009 killer bus case, has sentenced the driver and the owner of the 2009 killer bus to 10 years in prison each. Photo by BGNES
The driver of the bus which careered down a mountainside near Yambol in May 2009 and killed 18 people has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Supreme Court of Cassation (VKS).
The owner of the Chavdar bus, which caused the death of 18 and injured another 14, will also spend 10 years behind bars, according to reports of the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR).
The verdicts are final and cannot be appealed.
On 29 May 2009, following a brake failure, a bus crashed into a group of people walking up the Bakadzhik peak in southeastern Bulgaria to attend a traditional Spasovden feast held on the summit.
16 people were killed on the spot and around 14 people were seriously injured.
The expert statements drawn up in the course of the trial proved that the vehicle had been repaired with a wire and a coin.