A woman killed in a crash on the Aytos Pass on Sunday evening was 62, police in Burgas say. People close to a festival in the area say she was Maria Dimitrova, from Dobrich, who for years ran the Balkan Arts Festival in Karnobat.

The crash happened around 6:30pm on September 27 on a stretch of road past the village of Bilka, heading toward Daskotna in Ruen municipality. Police say a car and a truck collided, and the woman driving the car died at the scene.

Dimitrova was driving an Opel Astra registered in Dobrich. The truck, a DAF registered in Varna, was driven by a 57-year-old man from Avren, in the Varna region.

Rescue crews had to cut the car open to free her body, which is why police in Burgas could not officially confirm her identity in their first statement.

With the pass closed, traffic between Varna and Burgas is being diverted through the Rishki Pass. Police warn the road could stay shut in both directions for some time while they investigate.

Maria Dimitrova, who performed under the stage name Maria Vintse, worked for years as a vocal coach in folk singing. She served as deputy head, and later head, of St. Kliment Ohridski secondary school in Dobrich.

People close to the festival say she had come to Karnobat for the event. She had a place to stay Sunday night, and people had urged her to wait and drive back in the morning, but she set off for Dobrich alone instead. They describe her as a good, experienced driver who knew the road well and had driven it many times before.

Police have opened a criminal case to find out what caused the crash.