Already in the first minutes after the Serbian bus overturned on the roadway of AM Trakia, volunteers began to help the victims.
"Ordinary people, Bulgarians, were the first to come to our aid - before the police, the fire department and the ambulances. They also took many of the children to the hospital," explained Ivana Rajcic.
One of the first at the scene of the accident was Zivko Stamboliev from Plovdiv.
"I saw some 8- or 9-year-old children with blood all over their faces. There was crying, screaming. There were still people coming out of the back of the bus," he said.
Among the citizens who accidentally came to help was a doctor.
He gave instructions and saved many lives.
"The doctor was giving instructions. One of the people we bandaged a lady just wanted to lie down. He said: 'don't give it to him, if he has internal tears, he will suffocate,'" added Stamboliev.
The trauma of what was seen will remain for a long time.
"Three children who were in a very serious condition. We just bandaged them up, calmed them down and the moment they looked at each other, they were just scared by the sight. They were terrified and started crying and shouting," he added.