ZAGREB: An overloaded bus carrying migrants crashed Saturday in northern Croatia, killing two people and injuring many others, authorities said.
In the little town of Novska, officials spotted a “visibly overwhelmed vehicle” with European numberplates and tracked it down “without using audible or visible signals,” according to a police statement.
The pilot accelerated and veered off the road after noticing the officers. The van overturned, crashing into a home. The customer and the driver both died.
Local advertising accounts said around 25 people were injured, with nine in critical condition.
Although local media reports claimed the migrants included people of Turkey and a number of countries in the Middle East, officers did never provide information about the personalities of the people.
The event comes nearly a month after a vehicle carrying refugees crashed in eastern Croatia, killing 14 people and injuring them.
Croatia, a member of the European Union, has long been a big transport hub for illegal immigrants seeking to enter Europe on the so-called Balkan route, with the majority passing through neighboring Bosnia.
According to the bloc’s borders company Frontex, almost 100, 000 Europe-bound migrants fleeing conflict or hunger took the Balkan path last year to provide the EU.
