ZAGREB, 23 Nov 2021 - Croatia is with you in these difficult moments, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in his condolences to North Macedonia PM Zoran Zaev and the families of that country's citizens killed when a bus caught fire in Bulgaria, killing 45 people, the Croatian government said on Tuesday.

The bus with North Macedonia license plates and 52 people on board caught fire on a motorway in western Bulgaria this morning.

An employee of the North Macedonia Embassy in Sofia told BTV that most of the fatalities were North Macedonia citizens.

"It was with great sorrow and genuine regret that I received news of the horrible tragedy in Bulgaria in which most of those killed were your citizens. In these difficult moments for the victims' families, as well as for all North Macedonia, Croatia is with you," Plenković said in his note of condolence to Zaev.

Izražavamo najdublju sućut @Zoran_Zaev i obiteljima stradalih nakon strašnog požara autobusa na autocesti u Bugarskoj gdje je poginuo velik broj ljudi. U ovim teškim trenucima za cijelu Sjevernu Makedoniju, Hrvatska je s vama! Naše su misli i molitve uz ?? i obitelji stradalih.

— Andrej Plenković (@AndrejPlenkovic) November 23, 2021

Plenković extended condolences to Zaev, the victims' families, and all of North Macedonia on behalf of the government, the Croatian people, and his own.

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ZAGREB, 23 Nov 2021 - Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman on Tuesday expressed his deepest condolences and offered help to his North Macedonian counterpart Bujar Osmani following an accident involving a bus with North Macedonian license plates in Bulgaria in which at least 45 people were killed.

According to initial reports, there are no Croatian nationals among the casualties.

The bus caught fire on a motorway in the west of Bulgaria early on Tuesday morning, a senior Bulgarian Foreign Ministry official said.

The vehicle, carrying 52 passengers, was moving along the Struma motorway from Sofia to Blegoevgrad in the southwest of the country and the accident happened at the exit at Bosnek, around 40 kilometers south of Sofia, according to information on the website of the BTV television.

An official at the North Macedonian Embassy in Sofia confirmed for BTV that most of the casualties were nationals of North Macedonia.

The Croatian Foreign Ministry said that according to currently available information, there are no Croatian nationals among the casualties, noting that the Croatian Embassy in Sofia is following the situation.

Minister Grlić Radman spoke on the telephone with North Macedonian Foreign Minister Osmani, offering him his deepest condolences and offering help on behalf of Croatia.

Grlić Radman said that Croatia and its people felt solidarity with North Macedonia and its citizens.

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