BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — A passenger bus traveling on a highway in Hungary early Sunday went off the road and into a ditch where it overturned, killing 12 and injuring others, police said.
The bus, which was carrying a group of Polish tourists, was traveling on eastbound lanes near the town of Mezokeresztes when it overturned on the M3 motorway around 140 kilometers (87 miles) east of Hungary’s capital, Budapest, at around 1 a.m. on Sunday.
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Emergency services attend the scene after a passenger bus went off the road and overturned in a ditch along a highway between Mezokeresztes and Mezonagymihaly in Hungary, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (Zoltan Mathe/MTI via AP)
Emergency services attend the scene after a passenger bus went off the road and overturned in a ditch along a highway between Mezokeresztes and Mezonagymihaly in Hungary, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (Zoltan Mathe/MTI via AP)
Emergency services attend the scene after a passenger bus went off the road and overturned in a ditch along a highway between Mezokeresztes and Mezonagymihaly in Hungary, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (Zoltan Mathe/MTI via AP)
An aerial photo taken by drone shows the emergency services as they attend the scene after a passenger bus went off the road and overturned in a ditch along a highway between Mezokeresztes and Mezonagymihaly in Hungary, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (Zoltan Mathe/MTI via AP)
Emergency services attend the scene after a passenger bus went off the road and overturned in a ditch along a highway between Mezokeresztes and Mezonagymihaly in Hungary, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (Zoltan Mathe/MTI via AP)
In a statement, police said it was likely that the driver fell asleep, causing the accident, and that the driver had been taken into custody.
Hungary's National Directorate for Disaster Management said in a statement that 57 passengers and two drivers were traveling on the bus at the time of the accident, and that several of the passengers had been trapped under the vehicle when it overturned.
Polish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maciej Wewiór told Polish news agency PAP on Sunday that all of the people on the bus were Polish citizens.
The bus was carrying people from Poland’s southeastern Podkarpackie region who were returning from a pilgrimage in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the regional government in Rzeszow, Poland, said in a Facebook post.
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar wrote in a statement on Facebook that at least 10 people were seriously injured in the crash. He offered his condolences to the families of the victims and thanked rescue workers who were dispatched to the scene.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki expressed his “deep sorrow” over the accident, writing in a post on X: “I join the families and loved ones of the victims in prayer and deep sympathy.”
Associated Press writer Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
Emergency services attend the scene after a passenger bus went off the road and overturned in a ditch along a highway between Mezokeresztes and Mezonagymihaly in Hungary, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (Zoltan Mathe/MTI via AP)
Emergency services attend the scene after a passenger bus went off the road and overturned in a ditch along a highway between Mezokeresztes and Mezonagymihaly in Hungary, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (Zoltan Mathe/MTI via AP)
Emergency services attend the scene after a passenger bus went off the road and overturned in a ditch along a highway between Mezokeresztes and Mezonagymihaly in Hungary, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (Zoltan Mathe/MTI via AP)
An aerial photo taken by drone shows the emergency services as they attend the scene after a passenger bus went off the road and overturned in a ditch along a highway between Mezokeresztes and Mezonagymihaly in Hungary, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (Zoltan Mathe/MTI via AP)
Emergency services attend the scene after a passenger bus went off the road and overturned in a ditch along a highway between Mezokeresztes and Mezonagymihaly in Hungary, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (Zoltan Mathe/MTI via AP)
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilians began voting in Sunday’s polarizing presidential runoff between incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro, a contest that will determine whether the U.S. will significantly expand its growing influence in Latin America.
Polls ahead of the vote showed the two candidates, who need more than 50% of the vote to become Brazil’s next leader in January, in a neck-and-neck race. The election pits the left-of-center veteran politician Lula against Bolsonaro, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump and the son of imprisoned former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Flávio Bolsonaro bested Lula by more than 2.2 million votes in the first round of the election earlier this month. More than 33 million voters out of nearly 160 million did not turn out.
The difference between the two candidates is stark. Bolsonaro and Lula have opposing ideological views on issues ranging from U.S.-Brazil relations and climate change to social welfare.
A win for Bolsonaro would signify a pivot to the right by Latin America's most populous country and its largest economy in a year when Trump allies have notched victories in Chile, Peru and Colombia.
A victory for Lula would leave Brazil and Mexico, which is the region’s second most populous country and led by President Claudia Sheinbaum, with left-of-center leaders.
In many ways, Brazil’s runoff vote resembles a rematch between the country’s two polarized political forces that trigger passion as much as loathing. Four years ago, Lula beat Bolsonaro’s father by the narrowest margin since the country’s return to democracy in 1985. Polls suggest that this election will be even closer.
Lula, who first governed the country between 2003 and 2010, has faced a tough reelection battle because of concerns about the cost of living and security. Bolsonaro made a tough-on-crime approach the cornerstone of his campaign and pledged to bring down food costs.
Both have been hit by corruption suspicions involving family members and allies, with Bolsonaro implicated in a sprawling scandal rocking Brazil. Lula spent more than a year in prison on corruption convictions that were eventually annulled.
Bolsonaro’s admission that he accepted about $12 million from disgraced former banker Daniel Vorcaro to produce a film on his father’s life has cast a shadow over his campaign. He is under investigation for corruption, money laundering and tax evasion in connection with the case.
As Bolsonaro voted at a school in Rio de Janeiro around 8 a.m., Bolsonaro's supporters shouted “Lula, thief, your place is in prison” while Lula’s supporters chanted in his support.
“The time of real change has arrived,” Bolsonaro told journalists. “Brazil can’t go on another four years on its current trajectory.”
In the lead-up to the vote, Lula frequently portrayed Bolsonaro, whose father is under house arrest for attempting a coup, as a threat to democracy. Bolsonaro has promised to seek an amnesty for his father if elected.
The next president will name at least three Supreme Court justices out of 11 in his next term due to upcoming retirements. Bolsonaro has long taken aim at the country's top court — which has been rocked by a corruption scandal — and promised to push for judiciary reform.
Lula, trying to lure undecided voters, has invested in costly incentives since he lost the first round of voting. His government’s most recent moves have been endorsing a debt relief program for small businesses and promising free public transportation on weekends. A win for the incumbent came with the Senate's approval of the six-day working week — a popular proposal backed by the government.
Lula has criticized the U.S. president before Brazil's election, speaking about the risks of U.S. intervention in Brazilian elections after the Trump administration imposed high tariffs against Brazilian exports, sanctioned a Supreme Court justice who chaired the investigation that ended up resulting in the sentencing of Jair Bolsonaro and classified drug-trafficking groups as foreign terrorist organizations, which experts say may have been intended to make Lula look soft on crime.
Flávio Bolsonaro has touted his proximity to the White House and insisted that Brazil needs to strike better deals with the Trump administration, including the rare minerals economy. Brazil estimates that its deposits hold up to 21 million tons, second only to China. He denies he's being helped by the U.S. government.
Voting in Brazil is conducted electronically and the result is usually available within hours after polling stations close at 5 p.m. in Brasilia.
Savarese reported from Sao Paulo.
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Voters line up at a polling station during the presidential runoff in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Voters line outside a polling station up during the presidential runoff in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
A supporter of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is seeking reelection, lines up at a polling station during a presidential runoff in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Opposition presidential candidate Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro and his wife Fernanda Bolsonaro give a thumbs during the runoff presidential election in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
Voters wait to cast their ballots during a presidential runoff in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Lucas Landau)
Red T-shirts depicting Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for reelection, and yellow T-shirts depicting opposition presidential candidate Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro hang for sale outside a building ahead of Brazil's presidential runoff election in Autazes, Amazonas state, Brazil, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Edmar Barros)
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, right, who is running for reelection, and his running mate Geraldo Alckmin raise their arms in unison at the end of their final campaign rally, a day ahead of the presidential runoff election in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Opposition presidential candidate Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, center, leaves after his final campaign rally a day ahead of the presidential runoff election in Rio de Janeiro, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
Supporters of opposition presidential candidate Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro cheer during his final campaign rally a day ahead of the presidential runoff election in Rio de Janeiro, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Lucas Landau)
A girl standing on a man's shoulders reaches out amid a crowd of supporters of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for reelection, during his final campaign rally, a day ahead of the presidential runoff election in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
