Twenty-three Israeli tourists were hurt Sunday when their minibus crashed on a visit to a Romanian salt mine, local authorities said.

None suffered serious injury but passengers were taken to hospital as a precaution, emergency services spokesman Florin Chivu said after the crash near the Unirea mine at Slanic Prahova in southern Romania.

He added the 25 people were on board in total, including eight children, when the vehicle overturned.

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Police were investigating the cause of the accident on a highway leading to one of the regions’ key tourist sites.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said it had been contact with authorities in Bucharest regarding rescue efforts, and that it had been informed that Israelis were involved in the accident. It stressed, though, that it could not definitely confirm details until the consul arrived in the area.

The Israeli consul, Rina Dvir, was on her way to the local hospital “to assist in any way necessary,” the ministry said.

Reportedly the driver lost control of the vehicle due to severe weather conditions.

Many Israelis take advantage of the Passover vacation to travel overseas. In January an Israeli tourist was killed in a car accident in Romania. </s> BUCHAREST (AFP) - Twenty three Israeli tourists were hurt Sunday (April 1) when their minibus crashed on a visit to a Romanian salt mine, local authorities said.

None suffered serious injury but passengers were taken to hospital as a precaution, emergency services spokesman Florin Chivu said after the crash near the Unirea mine at Slanic Prahova in southern Romania.

He added the 25 people were on board in total, including eight children, when the vehicle overturned.

Police were investigating the cause of the accident on a highway leading to one of the regions' key tourist sites. </s> Twenty-three Israeli tourists, among them eight children, were hurt Sunday in southern Romania when their minibus overturned near a salt mine.



None of the passengers suffered serious injuries, but they were all taken to a local hospital as a precaution. Israel's Consul in Bucharest Rina Dvir went to the hospital to extend any consular help that might be needed. </s> SOFIA, BULGARIA—Bulgaria’s health minister says a tourist bus has flipped over on a highway near Sofia, the capital, killing at least 15 people and leaving 27 others injured.

Police said a bus carrying tourists on a weekend trip to a nearby resort overturned and then fell down a side road 20 metres (66 feet) below the highway. The accident happened at 5:10 p.m. Saturday about 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of Sofia. </s> An Italian woman was killed and 44 other people were injured early Sunday when their long-distance bus swerved and hit a wall on an icy motorway near Zurich, police said.

Three people were severely injured, and one of the Italian drivers is in critical condition, police spokeswoman Rebecca Tilen said.

The bus was en route from the Italian city of Genoa to Dusseldorf in Germany.

"At the time of the accident, the motorway was covered with snow and ice, and it was snowing," Tilen told dpa, adding that investigators still have to determine the exact cause of the accident.

The bus was operated by a subcontractor of Flixbus, a German company that offers intercity services. The vehicle had Italian license plates.

"We extend our sympathies to the affected passengers and bus drivers as well as their families and friends," Flixbus said in a statement.

"The safety of passengers and drivers is a top priority for Flixbus," the company added.

There were 50 people on board in total, including the 37-year-old Italian woman and 16 of her compatriots.

The passengers also included several travelers each from Russia, Germany, Nigeria, Colombia and Albania, as well as individuals from Benin, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ghana, Jordan, Romania and Switzerland. </s> SOFIA, Bulgaria -- Bulgaria's health minister says a tourist bus has flipped over on a highway near Sofia, the capital, killing at least 15 people and leaving 27 others injured.

Police said a bus carrying tourists on a weekend trip to a nearby resort overturned and then fell down a side road 20 metres (66 feet) below the highway. The accident happened at 5:10 p.m. Saturday about 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of Sofia.

Health Minister Kiril Ananiev gave the death toll. Ambulances rushed to the scene and took the injured to Sofia hospitals. Doctors said some of the injured were in critical condition.

There was no immediate information about the nationality of the passengers. </s> Portugal: At least 29 German tourists were killed after a bus, they were travelling in, plunged off a road and overturned on the Portuguese island of Madeira yesterday, local officials said.

The accident took place at 18:30 (17:30 GMT) when the driver lost control of the bus at a junction and went off the road. The vehicle eventually landed on the roof of a house.

Mayor Filipe Sousa told media that all the tourists on the bus were German but some local people could also be among the casualties. Eleven of the fatalities were men and 17 women.

The bus was reported to be carrying 55 passengers, as well as the driver and a tour guide. Another woman succumbed of her injuries in hospital, he added.

The vice-president of Madeira’s regional government Pedro Calado said the bus met safety standards and so it was “premature to talk about what caused the crash”.

The mishap site has been sealed off and the injured transferred to a hospital in the island’s capital. An investigation into the crash has been launched, officials informed.

Prime Minister Antonio Costa has sent a message of condolence to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. </s> ZURIKH : One person died and 44 sustained injuries on Sunday following a bus crash outside the city of Zurich, local police reported following the incident. According to Zurich police, three people picked up severe injuries, while the other casualties are being treated for minor and moderate injuries. The crash occurred in the early morning in treacherous snowy conditions, police added. The bus, operated by a subsidiary of the German-owned firm Flixbus, was heading to the German city of Dusseldorf, from Genoa, Italy, the ATS news agency reported. Following the crash, a spokesman for the Russian Embassy to Switzerland, Stanislav Smirnov, told Sputnik that a Russian citizen who has suffered injuries as a result of a bus crash is in a serious condition. “One Russian citizen is currently in a serious condition. She is not transportable. The rest of the injured Russians will be able to leave the hospital as early as today. They have minor injuries, there are also fractures,” the spokesman said. A source in the Russian Federal Agency for Tourism (Rosturism), in turn, told Sputnik that the agency was clarifying the information regarding the condition of the injured Russian nationals.

“There is information indicating that the bus was not a tourist one but a regular one,” the source said, adding that it meant that the Russians who were on the bus were not traveling as part of an organized tour. According to the police, there were also passengers from Albania, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Jordan, Nigeria, Romania and Switzerland on the bus. The driver is among those in a serious condition. </s> At least 15 people have been killed in a road crash in Bulgaria involving a bus carrying tourists.

At least 15 people have been killed in a road crash in Bulgaria involving a bus carrying tourists.

At least 15 people dead after Bulgaria tourist bus plunges 20m off road

Police said the bus was carrying tourists on a weekend trip to a nearby resort when it overturned and then plunged down a side road 66ft below the main route it had been travelling on.

Another 27 people were injured in the incident.

The accident happened at 5.10pm local time on Saturday, 12 miles north of the capital Sofia.

Health officials said some of those injured are in a critical condition.

There was no immediate information about the nationality of the passengers.

Following the crash, the government immediately declared Monday a national day of mourning.
A bus crash in Slanic Prahova, Romania, injures 23 Israeli tourists.