Collision in Croatia Claims Lives of 4 People as Car Transporting Migrants Collides with Wall

ZAGREB, Croatia—A car carrying migrants on Thursday skidded off a road and hit a wall in southern Croatia, resulting in four fatalities and five serious injuries, including two children, according to police reports.

The Moldovan driver and three unidentified migrants were among the four individuals killed in the accident, as stated by senior police official Marko Srdarević during a press conference. The incident occurred around 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) near Sinj, approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Bosnian border.

Srdarević explained that the driver evaded a police vehicle at a crossroads before losing control and crashing into the wall. Among the five injured persons, two children aged 12 and 15, believed to be from Afghanistan and Syria, were included.

Reports from Croatian media suggested that the crash happened while the driver attempted to escape from the police to avoid apprehension for migrant smuggling activities.

Croatia is a member state of the European Union, and migrants seeking entry into Western Europe often travel through Bosnia to Croatia before proceeding to Slovenia or Italy. Many migrants rely on smugglers to assist them in crossing borders without authorization, subjecting themselves to multiple attempts and frequent pushbacks by law enforcement officials.

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Additionally, police discovered two other vehicles involved in the illegal transportation of migrants, one with Polish plates and the other with Hungarian plates. The occupants of the vehicles included individuals from Syria, Afghanistan, Moldova, and Romania.

One of the injured men, claiming he was from Afghanistan, informed authorities that this was his fourth attempt to enter Croatia, as stated by Srdarević.

Prior to this, Interior Minister Davor Božinović clarified that the incident was not a typical car chase but rather a result of the driver striking the wall while attempting a turn at excessive speed.