Seven people, all supporters of PAOK, who were travelling to France in a tourist van, have been killed in a tragic accident following a head-on collision in the village of Lugoj, near Timișoara in Romania, as confirmed by the Greek Embassy in Bucharest.
At 17:00, a delegation from the embassy is heading to the scene of the accident, which is located approximately seven hours by road from the Romanian capital.
It is recalled that, according to a report by the Romanian website digi24.ro, a small minibus travelling from Greece towards France with ten passengers attempted to overtake near the area of Lugojelul in Romania. While trying to return to its lane, it collided with a fuel tanker, was then thrown into the opposite direction, where it collided with a lorry. According to local media, a total of four vehicles were involved in the fatal accident: one lorry, one minibus, and two passenger cars.
It appears that the van involved in the fatal road accident in Romania, which was transporting PAOK supporters, had departed from Thessaloniki. According to information from ANA-MPA and statements by the Mayor of Alexandreia in Imathia, Panagiotis Gkyrinis, three of the victims aged between 25 and 27 originate from Alexandreia in Imathia, while a fourth victim comes from Pieria.
The ill-fated van was heading to France via Romania for PAOK’s match against Lyon in the final matchday of the Europa League.
In a statement, the Mayor of Thessaloniki, Stelios Angeloudis, expressed his condolences to the families of the victims of the fatal road accident involving the van transporting PAOK supporters.
“Today in Thessaloniki, the nightmarish memories of 4 October 1999 were awakened. The thoughts of all of us are with the PAOK supporters who lost their lives in Romania, on the way to the away match of their beloved team,” he stated. He also expressed his wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also appeared deeply shaken by the tragic accident in Romania involving the seven PAOK supporters, in a post on Facebook.
“The Greek government and our Embassy are in immediate cooperation with the local authorities, providing every possible form of support,” he stated in his message on social media.
At the same time, he expressed his condolences to the relatives of the victims and to the PAOK family, while wishing that “the injured recover quickly.”
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