•Scene of the accident, today
Seven football fans travelling to France for a Europa League fixture have been killed in a road accident in Romania.
The victims, supporters of Greek club PAOK, were en route by road to France to watch their team’s Europa League clash against Olympique Lyonnais today when the tragedy occurred.
In a statement, Romanian emergency services, the fans were travelling in a black minivan on the E70 highway near the town of Lugoj when the vehicle attempted to overtake another car shortly after 1:00 p.m. local time.
The minivan reportedly veered into the opposite lane and collided head-on with an oncoming lorry.
Dashcam footage circulating online shows the van moving into the opposing lane before crashing into the heavy-duty vehicle, which was unable to avoid the impact due to traffic conditions.
Romania’s fire service said it received an emergency call around 1:05 p.m. and immediately dispatched rescue teams to the scene, including a first-aid unit, extrication vehicle, fire engine and transport vehicles.
Officials later confirmed that seven men, aged between 28 and 30, died at the scene, while three other Greek nationals sustained serious injuries and were taken to hospital.
The head of Romania’s civil protection agency said air ambulances could not be deployed due to adverse weather conditions.
Reacting to the incident, the Mayor of Thessaloniki, Stelios Angeloudis, expressed condolences to the families of the victims.
“Our thoughts are with the PAOK fans who lost their lives in Romania on their way to support their beloved team,” he said, while wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
The victims were travelling to attend the Europa League fixture in France, part of the ongoing UEFA Europa League campaign.
Authorities in Romania have launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the crash.
