Date June 23, 2013 Bus operator Gregory Tour | Time ~17:30 local time Type of incident Cliff plunge | |
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Location near Morača Monastery, Kolašin Municipality, Montenegro
Coordinates: Cause Excessive speed during a rainstorm | ||
On June 23, 2013, 19 people, all Romanians, were killed and another 28 wounded in a bus crash near Podgorica in Montenegro. The bus, with registration plate number B 123 MMJ, skidded off the road, crashing into a ravine about 40 m below. A local child who was on the road at the time of the accident was also injured, but not seriously. The accident reportedly occurred around 5 to 6 pm 30 km north of Podgorica, the capital and largest city of Montenegro. There were about 50 people on board, all of them Romanian citizens.
The accident occurred during a rainstorm on a narrow road in mountainous terrain. The exact cause of the accident is unknown. The bus was carrying around 48 passengers, two drivers and a tourist guide, and was headed towards the Adriatic Sea. Attempts to rescue the survivors were inhibited by the rocky terrain of the region.
Montenegro's Interior Minister Raško Konjević described the crash as "an extremely serious accident". Milo Đukanović, the Prime Minister of Montenegro, also visited the victims at the hospital, and expressed his condolences to the Romanian Ambassador to Montenegro. The Serbian Government also offered medical assistance for the injured.
Victor Ponta, the Prime Minister of Romania, announced a day of national mourning for the date June 26. On the same day Montenegro also observed a day of national mourning in solidarity with Romania.