Twelve people were injured in a bus crash in Estonia on Sunday, with two in critical condition, according to early reports from Delfi.ee.
The accident occurred on the Tallinn-Narva highway near the village of Sakas in Ida-Viru County around 3:00 p.m. Local time on April 26, 2026.
Emergency services, including police, firefighters, and medical personnel, responded immediately to the scene after the bus veered off the road.
Initial reports indicate the bus was carrying 47 passengers when it left the roadway, resulting in injuries to 12 occupants.
Of those injured, two individuals were described as having sustained serious injuries requiring urgent medical attention.
Rescue operations were complicated as some passengers remained trapped inside the vehicle, necessitating efforts by both passing motorists and arriving responders to free them.
To extract the injured, authorities broke the front and rear windows of the bus and utilized an emergency exit through the roof.
According to Silverio Pälsingo, operations chief of the Eastern Prefecture, ten of the injured were transported to hospitals, while others received on-site medical assistance.
Rescue efforts were further hindered by the behavior of one passenger who refused to cooperate with emergency personnel, obstructing medical staff and declining to leave the bus.
Officials stated that physical force was required to remove the uncooperative individual, who was subsequently taken away in a police vehicle.
While the exact causes of the accident remain under investigation, authorities suggest adverse weather conditions may have contributed, including strong winds, crosswinds, and a thick layer of slushy snow on the road surface.
This incident adds to recent concerns about transportation safety on Estonia’s major highways, particularly during periods of inclement weather when road conditions can deteriorate rapidly.
The crash underscores ongoing challenges in maintaining safe travel conditions across the Baltic region, where seasonal weather patterns frequently impact road infrastructure and vehicle handling.
