ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — At least 11 people were killed and several injured when a Polish-registered bus skidded off a highway in northern Croatia early Saturday, police said.
“According to preliminary information at the scene, a bus with Polish license plates skidded, killing 11 people and injuring several others,” Croatian police said on Twitter.
Croatian state HRT television reported at least 34 people were injured, many of them seriously. It said the most likely cause of the accident was that the driver was asleep.
The broadcaster showed video of a blue bus being struck in a ditch next to the highway. The bus is heading towards Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.
The accident happened at 5:40 a.m. local time (3:40 a.m. GMT), about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Zagreb, on the busy A-4 motorway during the tourist season .
According to Croatian media reports, rescue teams have been dispatched to the scene of the accident. No other details were immediately available.
Polish foreign ministry spokesman Łukasz Jasina said on Polish news channel TVN24 that the government did not have much information. He confirmed that the Croatian service had reported 11 deaths.
“Representatives from our embassy are on their way to the scene of the accident. The Croatian deputy prime minister and interior minister will also be leaving,” Jasina said.
