Eight Killed In Crashes On Hungary’s Main Motorway, Prompting Government Probe

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

GYŐR, HUNGARY (Worthy News) – Eight people were killed Friday in two successive traffic accidents on Hungary’s main highway linking Budapest with Austria’s capital Vienna and Western Europe, prompting the government to order an extraordinary investigation into the circumstances of the crashes.

The accidents on the M1 motorway occurred amid extensive traffic diversions linked to ongoing roadworks observed by a Worthy News reporter, which have drawn criticism over their duration and what some motorists describe as inadequate safety measures.

Police said a truck with Moldovan license plates collided with road construction machinery near the northwestern Hungarian city of Győr, close to the Austrian border, at about 4:30 a.m. local time.

The vehicle caught fire after the impact, killing the driver, according to investigators. Footage from the scene showed towering flames and thick black smoke rising above the motorway, disrupting traffic in the area.

SECOND CRASH PROVES DEADLIER

About 40 minutes later, a minibus carrying nine people slammed into a truck that had stopped in traffic caused by the earlier accident.

Seven occupants of the minibus died at the scene, authorities said.

Hungary’s National Ambulance Service confirmed that two men survived but suffered serious injuries.

“One man with life-threatening injuries was transported to the hospital in Győr after receiving advanced respiratory support at the scene,” ambulance service spokeswoman Brigitta Szűcs said.

TWO MEN HOSPITALIZED

“Another man suffered severe chest and limb injuries. After pain relief treatment and immobilization, he was also taken to hospital,” she added.

Authorities identified the victims as foreign nationals. Hungarian media reported that both vehicles involved in the accidents carried Moldovan license plates.

Prime Minister Péter Magyar expressed condolences to the victims’ families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

“On behalf of the government, I express my sincere condolences to the families of the eight foreign citizens who died in the accident on the M1 motorway at dawn,” Magyar wrote on social media.

GOVERNMENT ORDERS PROBE

Magyar later requested an immediate report on traffic safety conditions related to diversions implemented by the motorway operator.

Transport and Investment Minister Dávid Vitézy announced an extraordinary investigation into the tragedy.

According to Vitézy, the probe will focus on traffic diversions and safety measures currently in place around the roadworks.

The M1 has been operated since September 2022 under a 35-year concession by MKIF (Hungarian Concession Infrastructure Development Ltd.).

CONTROVERSIAL CONCESSION

The company is associated with businessmen Lőrinc Mészáros and László Szíjj. Mészáros, a former gas fitter and childhood friend of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, became one of Hungary’s wealthiest entrepreneurs during the years of Fidesz party rule.

The motorway concession has remained politically controversial, with critics arguing that major infrastructure contracts awarded during the so-called NER era — the political and economic system established under Orbán after 2010 — frequently benefited business figures with close ties to the government.

Before taking office, Magyar pledged to review state concession agreements awarded during the previous administration and dismantle them if irregularities were found.

The scrutiny also comes amid a broader anti-corruption drive that has, in recent days, led to the detention, investigation, or charging of several former politicians and officials.

Authorities said the investigation would examine the circumstances of both crashes, including traffic diversions and safety measures in place at the roadworks site.

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