Another bloody morning in southern Serbia: Third traffic accident in two days involving Turks

Five Turkish nationals were injured in a car accident that took place around 5:30 a.m. this morning in the Sicevo Gorge near the Mali Vikend tavern. The accident occurred when a mini van with Austrian plates, traveling from Nis to Pirot, crossed to the left side of the road and then rammed into a supporting wall.

There were no braking marks at the scene, so it is assumed that the driver was asleep.

Photo: Telegraf

Since the vehicle was completely destroyed firefighters had to intervene, and as many as four ambulances were dispatched from Nis.

"We took taken care of the driver, a man between 40 and 50, who has the most serious injuries that are life-threatening. His mother, about 70 years old, was also very badly injured; two girls sustained injuries to their extremities and necks and a young man about 30 years old has chest injuries. A sixth person in the vehicle was not injured," said Dragisa Aleksic, chief of the ambulance team.

Witnesses to the crash say the scene was horrific, but that an even greater tragedy was narrowly avoided.

Photo: Telegraf

"The driver of the Ford, before hitting the wall, narrowly missed colliding with two oncoming vehicles, also carrying Turks. People were terrified, they stopped their cars and went to help the victims. The impact was terrible, obviously the driver did not brake at all. The front of the vehicle is completely destroyed, and the force of the impact is obvious in the fact that their luggage was thrown all over. We rushed to help them, everyone was concious but obviously badly injured. The children were crying - it was terrible," said one of the workers at a nearby car service.

This is the third crash in the last two days on the same section of the highway in southern Serbia. The black series began yesterday at around 2:50 p.m. when a Turkish driver drove his BMW off the road, down a ravine, and onto the rail tracks below.

Last night around 6 p.m. another accident happened, this time near the village of Dolac. Five people were injured when a car driven by a Turkish national collided with a truck.

VIDEO: The BMW wreck on the railway in Sicevo Gorge

(D.K.)