Bus Carrying Muslim Pilgrims Crashes in Bosnia; 43 Dead

A bus carrying Muslim pilgrims to a religious site plunged off a bridge Saturday, killing 43 people, authorities said.

The accident happened about dawn at a bridge over the Bosna River near the town of Kakanj. Investigators said the vehicle apparently went out of control, crossed into the left lane, crashed through a guardrail and fell into the river.

“I was at work when it happened,” said Amir Delic, a coal miner from Kakanj who was among the first people to reach the scene. “I came running and pulled eight bodies out. It was so horrific. I pulled out those eight, and I collapsed. I couldn’t do any more.”

Zuhrija Rovcanin, head of the local police, said that 42 people were confirmed dead and that 12 were taken to a hospital with serious injuries. Later, hospital staff said one of the 12 victims, an elderly woman, had died.

The driver, who was among the survivors, was ordered by police not to speak to reporters until an investigation is completed.

The pilgrims from the central Bosnian town of Zenica were en route to the village of Buna in southern Bosnia, where Muslims traditionally gather to pray in May. Police were sifting through victims’ belongings in an effort to determine who was aboard the bus and identify the dead.