A coach drove into a group of people on the sidelines of a Catholic youth meeting in Slovakia. Three girls who were hit by the vehicle and trapped died, Slovak Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok said on Saturday.
The politician traveled to the scene of the accident in Spišské Podhradie in the east of the country. Seven other people suffered serious or life-threatening injuries. According to Slovak media, the fatalities are said to be between 17 and 18 years old.
Apparently the handbrake was not applied
It was not immediately clear why the vehicle started moving. Broadcaster TA3 TV reported that the bus’s handbrake had not been applied. According to media reports, the group had just gotten off the bus at the time of the accident. The Minister of the Interior reported that an alcohol test on the driver was negative. The man is in shock and has therefore not yet been able to be interviewed.
The Home Secretary said he was at a loss for words: “Three young lives were extinguished here, the lives of three young girls who were on their way to a Catholic gathering to celebrate – and it ended so tragically.”
Youth meeting has been cancelled
The young people were to take part in a diocesan youth meeting in Spišské Podhradie, almost 300 kilometers northeast of Bratislava. The remainder of the event’s program was canceled and prayers were said for the victims. In the Spišské Kapitula district there is the Cathedral of St. Martin of the Diocese of Spiš. Slovakia, with almost 5.5 million inhabitants, is strongly influenced by Catholics.
Source: Krone
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