ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) – A car carrying migrants on Thursday skidded off road and hit a wall in southern Croatia, killing four people and seriously injuring five others, police said.
The driver of the car was speeding after evading a police checkpoint, according to Croatia’s Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic. He said that it wasn’t immediately clear whether the driver was killed in the crash or is among the injured.
Croatian media reported that the driver was trying to escape police to avoid being caught for people smuggling. The five other passengers, including a child, were injured and taken to the hospital.
Bozinovic said that “it wasn’t a classic car chase” and that the driver hit the wall while trying to turn at a curve at “unadjusted” speed.
The car had foreign license plates, Bozinovic said, without giving any more details. He added that police are looking for another car that was at the scene but managed to flee.
Croatia is a European Union member state. Migrants trying to reach Western Europe come to Croatia through Bosnia before moving on towards Slovenia or Italy. They often turn to people smugglers to get them across borders without authorization.
The accident happened around 7 a.m. near the town of Sinj, 18.6 kilometers (11.6 miles) from the Bosnian border.
