Fire guts bus carrying young people in Bulgaria, killing at least 45, many of them minors

Sofia — At least 45 people, including a dozen minors, were killed after a bus caught fire south of the Bulgarian capital early Tuesday, officials said. A cause has yet to be determined but officials believe a fire broke out on board and the bus crashed into guardrails.

There were no other vehicles involved in the accident, which occurred around 2:00 am (0000 GMT) on a highway about 26 miles from Sofia, near the village of Bosnek.

"Of the victims... 12 in total were under the age of 18," national police chief Stanimir Stanev said.