Authorities in Bulgaria continue to investigate a deadly accident involving migrants in Burgas, following a high-speed chase between police teams and a vehicle carrying illegal border-crossers. The crash, which occurred late Tuesday night on the city’s ring road, resulted in six fatalities and four injuries.

Further reading: BREAKING: Six Migrants Killed in Bulgaria After Car Plunges Into Lake Vaya During Police Chase

The pursuit began near Kiten at around 9:20 p.m. when Border Police officers spotted a Skoda Fabia traveling at extremely high speed. The car carried ten people, nine of whom had crossed the Bulgarian border illegally. The driver, a Romanian citizen, committed a crime by transporting the migrants and repeatedly ignored police signals. Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov, Director of the Border Police, stated that the ensuing chase lasted 34 minutes and reached speeds exceeding 150 kilometers per hour.

During the chase, the driver changed directions multiple times, including a route back toward Sozopol before returning to Burgas. Police deployed several blocking actions, including spike strips, but the vehicle evaded initial attempts. At one checkpoint, the driver used a Bulgarian civilian car as a shield, lightly hitting it once or twice, making intervention extremely challenging. The Skoda ultimately left the road and plunged into Lake Vaya during the final police attempt to stop it with spike tape.

Emergency responders rescued the driver and three other passengers, who were hospitalized in Burgas. Preliminary information indicates that the survivors are from Afghanistan. Unfortunately, six passengers died on the spot. A second inspection of the accident site is scheduled for this morning.

Zlatanov highlighted that this incident reflects an increase in aggressive behavior among migrant traffickers, despite reduced migration pressure. Over the past year, Afghan and Moroccan nationals were the most frequently intercepted, while Syrian crossings have declined. Between 15 and 20 organized criminal groups involved in migrant trafficking have been dismantled in the past 18 months, and investigations continue.

The Border Police director emphasized the professionalism of the officers during the incident, noting that a specific procedure was activated immediately following the identification of the speeding car. All police teams switched to a unified radio frequency and coordinated operations to minimize risks to civilians. He stressed that while “zero migration is not possible due to global trends,” Bulgarian authorities have successfully reduced migration pressure by approximately 70% compared to last year.

Zlatanov also outlined ongoing reforms in the Border Police, including redeployment of personnel to key external borders with Turkey and North Macedonia and the upcoming integration of 1,200 new officers to strengthen operational capacity and prevent similar tragedies in the future.