Washington, 23 November 2021 (MIA) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered condolences to the people of North Macedonia and Bulgaria for the loss of lives in a bus accident near Sofia and a fire in a nursing home in Bulgaria. “The Department of State and the American people extend our deep condolences to the people of North Macedonia and Bulgaria over the tragic loss of life in today's bus accident and in the nursing home fire. Our hearts go out to all those in mourning, and we wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” Blinken tweeted. A bus from North Macedonia, carrying passengers back home from a weekend trip to Istanbul, caught fire around 3:00 am on Tuesday on a highway in Bulgaria. 45 passengers, including 12 children were killed, whereas 7 people survived the incident. Also, nine people died when a fire broke out in a nursing home for the elderly on Tuesday in eastern Bulgaria.