Ruskovska: Fire started in luggage compartment of bus located above fuel tank
Skopje, 29 November 2021 (MIA) – Besa Trans owner Bekim Haxhiu was riding in one of the busses returning from Istanbul, acting as a second driver, but the four busses were traveling apart so the others didn’t witness the accident, Chief Prosecutor for Organized Crime and Corruption Vilma Ruskovska said on Monday.
Ruskovska said in an interview with Telma TV that she has interviewed all bus drivers and handed over their statements to her Bulgarian colleagues who are running the investigation into the accident.
She noted that she talked to Haxhiu at the scene of the accident, where he told her that the busses weren’t carrying flammable substances.
“He was visibly upset and shaken. I asked him whether they were carrying spare tanks of fuel, which he denied. This was an informal talk, conducted at the scene of the accident. He also denied that passengers bought pyrotechnics ahead of New Year’s Eve. That was the extent of our conversation,” Ruskovska said.
In regard to speculation in Bulgarian tabloids that the bus was carrying materials for making heroin, which burn down quickly, she underlined that both the Bulgarian prosecutor and head investigator have told her that this isn’t true.
“I personally saw and have photos of the area where the fire started, that’s the in luggage compartment of bus located above fuel tank,” she told Telma TV.