The scenes from the Egnatia Highway are shocking, where a truck crashed into vehicles immobilized in a 600-meter traffic jam, resulting in the deaths of three people and serious injuries to two others. The two cars involved were carrying relatives who had traveled to Evros for a wedding.

The violent collision caused a fire at the scene, and the 59-year-old driver, the 61-year-old front-seat passenger, and a 57-year-old female passenger were burned alive. According to police sources, they were four Albanian nationals with residence permits in Greece, living in Athens. A 49-year-old Albanian woman managed to escape from the vehicle and is hospitalized in Komotini.

In the car ahead were their Greek relatives: the 36-year-old driver, a 28-year-old front-seat passenger, and two boys aged 4 and 5, who live in Athens. According to ERT, the relatives had traveled to Evros for the wedding and were returning when the horrific accident occurred.

The Bulgarian truck driver is reported to be seriously injured. According to ERT, he underwent surgery and is hospitalized in stable condition. The truck’s front-seat passenger is also hospitalized in stable condition.

Shortly after 16:00, the temporary diversion of traffic on the Komotini–Xanthi section of the Egnatia Highway ended. Traffic had been rerouted via the national road Komotini–Porto Lagos–Xanthi.

The fire also spread to surrounding agricultural land. Emergency services rushed to the scene, including 22 firefighters with 9 fire trucks, 3 EKAB ambulances, and police forces.