All seven people killed in Tuesday’s traffic accident in Romania involving a minivan carrying PAOK supporters were fans of the Thessaloniki side, Greece’s embassy in Romania has confirmed.
The vehicle, which was carrying 10 passengers, had departed from Greece and was travelling to France, where the fans were planning to attend Thursday’s Europa League match between PAOK and Lyon.
According to reports, three people were injured in the collision and have been hospitalized in serious condition.
Greek state-run news agency AMNA reported that the mayor of Alexandria in Imathia, Panagiotis Girinis, said three of the victims were from Alexandria, while a fourth was from the neighbouring regional unit of Pieria. He added that the victims from Alexandria were aged between 25 and 27.
Dashcam footage broadcast by local media shows a black minivan overtaking another vehicle before colliding head-on with an oncoming truck at around 1 p.m., according to the timestamp on the recording.
The crash occurred on the E70 highway between the towns of Caransebes and Lugojel, in western Romania.
In a statement, Romania’s fire service said: “Around 1.05 p.m. we were called to respond to a traffic accident on the E70, near the village of Lugojel. A first aid vehicle, an extrication vehicle, a fire engine and personnel transport vehicles immediately dispatched to the scene.”
It said the accident involved a truck, a tanker, a minivan (8+1 passenger seats) and a passenger vehicle.
Romanian authorities are investigating the circumstances of the accident, while Greek embassy officials are en route to the scene of the crash, which is seven hours’ distance from Bucharest.
The head of the Romanian Civil Protection, Raed Arafat, said that emergency helicopters were unable to operate due to adverse weather conditions.
PAOK chairman Ivan Savvidis said he was “devastated by the unjust loss of young people – supporters of our beloved team – who travelled to stand by PAOK.”
“I mourn with their families and with millions of our compatriots,” he said in a statement posted on the club’s website.
“These young people, the children of PAOK, are our own. They are members of one big family, and we stand by our family and leave no one alone.”
In a social media post, Thessaloniki Mayor Stelios Angeloudis said “our thoughts are with the PAOK fans who lost their lives in Romania, on the way to their beloved team’s away game. My sincere condolences to the families of the victims of the tragic accident, and a speedy recovery to the injured.”
This story has been updated.
