18 People Killed in Poland Bus Crash

VOA Breaking News
Voice of America
October 12, 2010 at 10:20 am

Polish authorities say a van carrying seasonal fruit pickers has collided head-on with a truck in east-central Poland, killing all 18 people aboard the van.

Police say the van apparently swerved into the opposite lane and hit the truck in heavy morning fog Tuesday near the town of Nowe Miasto nad Pilica, 80 kilometers south of Warsaw.

Officials say the van was carrying too many passengers and most were sitting on boxes at the time of the crash. The fruit pickers had been on their way to a local orchard.

Sixteen people were killed at the scene and two others died after being taken to a hospital. The truck driver was hospitalized with minor injuries.

Polish authorities are investigating the incident.

Some information in this story was provided by AP and Reuters.