International Desk: Bulgaria's western North Macedonia. At least 45 people were killed in a bus fire. Among the dead were children. The seven burn victims have been admitted to various hospitals in the capital Sofia.

The tragic accident happened on Tuesday (November 23) on a highway in northern Macedonia in western Bulgaria. Reuters and the BBC quoted the country's authorities as saying. The accident happened at two o'clock local time. Traffic in the area has been suspended since the accident.

Nikolai Nikolaev, head of the fire safety department at the southeastern European Union's interior ministry, told the media that at least 45 people had died when the bus caught fire or twisted.

Russia's state news agency Tass reported that there were 52 passengers on the Sofia-bound tourist bus from northern Macedonia.

Most of the victims are residents of northern Macedonia. An official from the northern Macedonian embassy in Sofia was among the victims.