The driver of the Greek van carrying PAOK fans (Thessaloniki), which crashed in Romania on Tuesday, had used cannabis, cocaine and alcohol. This is clear from the toxicological analysis carried out by forensic doctors in Romania, the spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office at the Court in Lugoj, western Romania, where the serious accident occurred, told Agerpres today.
A head-on collision between a Greek van and a lorry on a two-lane road near the city of Lugoj on Tuesday (January 27) killed seven people, including the 29-year-old driver, and injured three others. A total of 10 Greek citizens were travelling in the van with a capacity of 8+1 - fans of the PAOK Thessaloniki football club. They were traveling to France to support their favorite team in a Europa League match against Olympique Lyonnais.
Forensic sources involved in the investigation of the accident told Agerpres earlier that “two sachets with plant content and one with a white substance“ were found in the van.
Prosecutor Berta Constantinescu of the Lugoj Prosecutor's Office, which is handling the case, announced today that a toxicological analysis of the driver's blood, carried out at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Timisoara, confirmed the presence of cannabis, cocaine and alcohol.
The case has been taken over by the criminal investigation authorities of the Lugoj Municipal Police, “Traffic” department, under the supervision of the prosecutor from the Lugoj Court. An investigation is underway for the crimes of negligence leading to bodily harm and negligence leading to death, explained prosecutor Berta Constantinescu, who is also the spokesperson for the prosecutor's office at the Court of Lugoj.
Two of the injured were discharged today from the Timisoara County Hospital and traveled to Greece on a special flight of the Greek emergency medical service, the news agencies of Romania and Greece - Agerpres and ANA-MPA - reported. The Greek agency specified that one of the injured will remain in a hospital in Thessaloniki for treatment, while the other is in better condition and will probably not require further hospitalization. The third injured person remains in the Timisoara hospital for the time being.
The C-130 plane carrying the bodies of the deceased took off from Timisoara at 4:30 p.m., the Greek agency ANA-MPA reported. Before the flight, the metropolitan of the region held a religious service and placed a white rose on each of the coffins.
The bodies of the deceased are expected to be greeted by PAOK fans at Thessaloniki International Airport.