Drivers involved in Croatia's fatal traffic accident arrested

Zagreb, May 5 The two drivers involved in the fatal traffic accident that killed two and injured 31 others were arrested, the Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT) said in a report.

The two drivers were charged with the criminal offense and a criminal investigation is being conducted against them, the report said Sunday, adding that the penalty for causing a traffic accident with fatal consequences can reach up to three years in prison, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Both drivers are responsible for causing the road traffic accident, and the law stipulates a prison sentence of up to three years," Vjekoslav Stingl, head of traffic police affairs at the Sisak-Moslavina Police Department, was quoted as saying.

The two drivers sustained minor injuries and underwent clinical treatment at the Kutina traffic police station near the accident site.

According to local police, the bus and the passenger car, both with license plates of Bosnia and Herzegovina, collided on the A3 Bregana-Lipovac motorway between the Popovaca and Kriz junctions, some 60 km southeast of Zagreb, at around 3:10 a.m. (0110 GMT) on Sunday.

Meanwhile, according to a report by the local daily Jutarnji list, the driver of the passenger car, after hitting a fence and blocking the road with his vehicle, got out and tried to use a flashlight to signal to oncoming traffic.

However, the bus driver, although driving at a reasonable speed, noticed this too late and crashed into it. After hitting the car, the bus overturned and broke through the central guardrail, the report said.

Among the injured, 29 were hospitalised due to serious wounds, but none of them were in a life-threatening condition, Croatian Minister of Health Irena Hrstic said at a press conference on Sunday.

The Croatian health system has been fully engaged after the accident, and nine emergency medical service teams have been dispatched to the scene.

"We would like to express our deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and wish a speedy recovery to those who are receiving treatment in our hospitals," Hrstic said.

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