Bulgaria bus crash kills at least 45 including 12 children

At least 45 people, including 12 children, have died in a bus crash in Bulgaria after the vehicle caught fire.

Officials believe the bus hit a highway barrier, but it remains unclear if the fire started before or after the crash, which happened on a motorway around 2am local time, near the village of Bosnek.

A total of 53 passengers were on board the vehicle, which was carrying tourists returning from Turkey.

Seven people escaped from the crash and were taken to hospital for treatment.

Sign up to our breaking news email alerts here.