BUCHAREST, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Greece's embassy in Romania confirmed that the seven people killed Tuesday in a minibus crash on DN6 in western Timis County were supporters of Thessaloniki football club PAOK.
In an official Facebook post, the Embassy of Greece quoted Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis as saying that the Greek government and the embassy are working closely with local authorities to provide all possible support.
According to the Timis County Police Inspectorate, the victims were all Greek men. The minibus involved in the crash had eight passenger seats and a driver's seat and was also registered in Greece.
Police said a 29-year-old man was driving the minibus from the city of Caransebes toward Lugoj when he entered the opposite lane and collided head-on with a heavy goods truck.
The impact killed the driver of the minibus and six passengers. Three other passengers were injured and taken to the hospital for treatment.
Authorities have opened a criminal investigation into charges of involuntary manslaughter and bodily harm caused by negligence. Police are investigating the circumstances of the crash.
According to the Greek media, 10 PAOK fans were on the minibus, traveling to France to attend Thursday's Europa League match against Olympique Lyonnais. the PAOK Thessaloniki football team coached by Romanian Razvan Lucescu
The match is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. at Groupama Stadium in Decines-Charpieu, to the east of Lyon. Lyon leads the group standings with 18 points, while PAOK is in 12th place with 12 points. ■
