More than 10 people died in two serious pile-ups on the Trakia motorway near the Zimnitsa junction this morning, Yambol regional governor Georgi Chalakov told BTA.

The first crash happened at the 289km mark, on the carriageway towards Burgas. The second was at the 294km mark, before the junction, on the carriageway towards Sofia. The interior ministry says fog and poor visibility caused the crashes.

Ambulance crews, Military Medical Academy teams, police and soldiers are helping at the scene. The injured have been taken to hospitals in Sliven, Yambol and Burgas.

Prime minister Rumen Radev has sent the government plane to Burgas, where it is ready to fly injured people to hospitals in Sofia, the government press office said. Spartan military transport planes have also been arranged to carry patients by air. One of them has already left for Burgas, the defence ministry told BTA earlier.

Radev cancelled his whole programme in Varna after meeting European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

The government meeting planned for this afternoon has also been cancelled.

Follow-up: MPs hold a minute's silence for victims of Trakia motorway crashes

Updated (10.11, 15:39): Eleven people died and 48 were hurt, prime minister Rumen Radev said. Interior minister Ivan Demerdzhiev flew to Burgas on a government plane. More than 70 vehicles were involved in the two crashes, and by 11:30am about half of the site had been cleared, the Ministry of Health said. Lubomir Nikolov, acting chief secretary of the Interior Ministry, said there were no children among the dead and injured. He said a medical helicopter could not land because of thick fog.

Updated at 16:46: The death toll from two crashes on the Trakia motorway near Zimnitsa has risen to 12, prime minister Rumen Radev said, according to BTA. The cabinet is declaring 11 November a day of mourning, and the labour and social policy minister will announce financial compensation. Thirteen people are seriously injured, and 86 vehicles were involved in the crashes. Nine investigators will examine the site and check the road surface and markings.