Seven football supporters tragically lost their lives in a horrific head-on collision after their minivan collided with an oncoming truck in Romania while on their way to a Europa League match in France.
The victims, all of whom were fans of the Greek club PAOK, were traveling by road to France for a pivotal Europa League match against Olympique Lyonnais scheduled for Thursday when the accident occurred on Tuesday.
Three additional fans from Greece are currently hospitalized in critical condition.
The ten PAOK supporters were driving in a black minivan when they attempted to overtake another vehicle shortly after 1 p.m.
Chilling dashcam footage from the car being passed shows the minivan moving into the opposite lane for the overtaking maneuver. As it does so, a large truck comes into view, speeding toward it while the minivan is unable to return to its lane due to two other vehicles occupying it.
The driver of the fan vehicle swerved in an attempt to avoid the collision but instead placed the minivan directly in the path of the oncoming truck.
The impact was catastrophic, hurling the smaller minivan across the road and scattering debris all over both lanes.
Emergency services quickly responded to the crash site located on the E70 highway between the towns of Caransebes and Lugoj in western Romania.
According to Romania’s fire service, assistance was dispatched at approximately 1:05 p.m. in response to the traffic accident near the village of Lugoj, which included a first aid vehicle, a rescue truck, a fire engine, and personnel transportation units.
The chief of Romanian Civil Protection stated that air ambulances were unable to reach the accident site due to inclement weather conditions.
Authorities later confirmed the unfortunate deaths of seven men, with three individuals subsequently transported to the hospital, all aged between 28 and 30.
Stelios Angeloudis, the Mayor of Thessaloniki, expressed his condolences following the tragedy. He remarked, “Our thoughts are with the PAOK fans who lost their lives in Romania on their way to support their beloved team.”
He extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and wished a swift recovery to the injured.
Investigations into the deadly accident are currently ongoing.
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