2013 Podgorica bus crash

2013 Montenegro bus crash
The route of the bus
Details
DateJune 23, 2013
~17:30 local time
Locationnear Morača Monastery, Kolašin Municipality, Montenegro
Coordinates:
42°47′25″N 19°23′38″E / 42.790199°N 19.3939°E / 42.790199; 19.3939
OperatorGregory Tour
Incident typeCliff plunge
CauseExcessive speed during a rainstorm
Statistics
Passengers47
Deaths19[1]
Injured27 + 1 (pedestrian)

The 2013 Podgorica bus crash was a traffic collision that occurred on 23 June 2013, near Kolašin, Montenegro,[2] 30 km north of Podgorica.[3][4] The crash took place when a Neoplan Tourliner coach bus departed the roadway during a heavy rainstorm and fell 40 m into a canyon.[3][4]

The 47 passengers, including two drivers from bus operator Gregory Tour and a guide from the tour organizer Maree Travel, were on a six-day tour from Romania to Montenegro and Croatia.[3] All were Romanian nationals.[4]

The final accident report revealed the bus failed to negotiate a curve at the end of a tunnel due to the driver's excessive speed[2] and slippery road conditions.[2][5] In total, 18 people were killed and another 30 wounded.[2][5]

Attempts to rescue the survivors were inhibited by the rocky terrain of the region.[4][6]

Reactions

Montenegro's Interior Minister Raško Konjević described the crash as "an extremely serious accident".[4] Milo Đukanović, the Prime Minister of Montenegro, also visited the victims at the hospital, and expressed his condolences to the Romanian Ambassador to Montenegro.[6] The Serbian Government also offered medical assistance for the injured.[6]

Victor Ponta, the Prime Minister of Romania, announced a day of national mourning [7] for the date June 26. On the same day Montenegro also observed a day of national mourning in solidarity with Romania.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Tragedia din Muntenegru a mai făcut o victimă. Unul dintre pasagerii din autocarul groazei a murit ieri dimineaţă". Antena 3. 4 December 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Ćetković, Jadranka (2013-08-07). "Rumuni tražili svu dokumentaciju o autobuskoj nesreći" [The Romanians asked for all the documentation about the bus accident]. vijesti.me (in Serbian). Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  3. 1 2 3 romaniainsider (2013-06-24). "Bus crash kills 18, injures 29 Romanian tourists in Montenegro". Romania Insider. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "BBC News - Deadly bus plunge in Montenegro". Bbc.co.uk. 2013-04-09. Retrieved 2013-06-24.
  5. 1 2 Nikolić, Biljana (2013-07-03). "Nalaz uzroka nesreće u Platijama gotov do petka" [Discovery of the cause of the accident in Platia will be ready by Friday]. vijesti.me (in Serbian). Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  6. 1 2 3 "18 români au MURIT, iar 29 sunt răniţi în urma tragicului accident din Muntenegru. LISTA cu pacienţii români care sunt internaţi în spitalele din Podgoriţa". Antena3.ro. Retrieved 2013-06-24.
  7. ↑ The Washington Post