On the A5 motorway near the town of Gaweinstal in eastern Austria, there was a tragic accident on Saturday involving a minibus with Polish registration numbers, which was driven by Ukrainian citizens. The vehicle fell off the bridge. Four people were killed, including a few-month-old and a three-year-old child, the APA agency reported.
The accident happened on the North/Weinviertel motorway (A5) near Gaweinstal, about 50 kilometers from Vienna. A minibus with Polish registration numbers, in which the family was traveling, overturned and fell off the bridge onto a dirt road.
Deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about people riding a minibus
The first information provided by the media was about travelers from Poland, then there were reports about a family from Ukraine. These reports were later confirmed by the deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Paweł Jabłoński. – We can already confirm the information agreed with the Austrian police that it was a vehicle with Polish registration numbers, while Ukrainian citizens were traveling in it. There were no Polish citizens in it, he told PAP.
– Our consular services have been in contact with the Austrian police since the morning. When it was established that the victims were citizens of Ukraine, we immediately forwarded this information to the Ukrainian post – said Jabłoński. He added that the Austrian police are already in contact with the Ukrainian side.
– We are also always ready to provide any information, if necessary – he stressed.
Three people are dead, including a child
The services confirmed the deaths of four people, including a few-month-old baby. The second child, aged 3, died shortly after being transported to a hospital in Vienna.
According to the fire department, the two adults who died were the children’s grandparents. In total, there were four adults and three minors in the wrecked vehicle.
The other three people, including a teenager, suffered minor injuries.
Five emergency vehicles, three ambulances and a helicopter were involved in the rescue operation, according to a Red Cross spokesman.
Further details about the accident and casualties are not yet known. “The driver who survived the accident testified that he had a few seconds of microsleep,” the APA reported.
Accident in GaweinstalFF Gaweinstal
Main photo source: FF Gaweinstal/Alfred Schwarz