Croatia: Bus crash claims 10 lives, 45 injured

Police say the bus traveling from the German city of Frankfurt to Kosovo swerved off the highway.

Croatian police are investigating the cause of the crash which claimed 10 lives.

A bus traveling from the German city of Frankfurt to Kosovo's capital city, Pristina, crashed early on July 25, killing at least 10 people and injuring 45, authorities said.

The incident happened near the town of Slavonski Brod on the highway between Zagreb and the Serbian border.

Cause of crash not yet known

While it's not yet clear what caused the crash, authorities said the bus appeared to have swerved off the highway at around 6 a.m. local time (0400 UTC/GMT) near Croatia's capital city. Emergency services were photographed at the scene attending to casualties, with the bus lying on its side. Traffic on the highway was halted.

According to the head of Slavonski Brod Hospital, 45 casualties had been admitted, including eight patients who were in a serious condition.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic expressed "sadness and grief'' over the crash on Twitter and extended his condolences to the relatives of the victims. "We hope the injured will recover.''

Bus was traveling regular route

Police said the bus, which had Kosovo license plates, had been traveling on a regular route beginning in Frankfurt and ending in Pristina. The nationalities and the ages of the casualties are not yet known.

kb/nm (AP, AFP)