Seven dead in Paralympics bus crash

A bus taking Greek high school students to watch the Paralympics in Athens smashed into a truck loaded with glass today, killing seven teenagers.

Thirty other passengers were injured, three critically, in the collision near the seaside town of Aghios Constantinos, 108 miles north of Athens.

Paralympic organisers said they would cut back tomorrow’s closing ceremony of the games, while Greek President Costis Stephanopoulos expressed his “deepest regret over this appalling accident”.

All Greek schools will close on Wednesday as a sign of mourning.

“Seven youngsters are dead. There are a number of seriously injured,” said Antonis Galanos Lamia police chief of the nearby town of Lamia.

He said the stretch of road is one of the few without central crash barriers, adding that the truck may have been speeding when it apparently jack-knifed into oncoming traffic and hit the bus.

Police said they are examining witness reports that one the truck’s tyres burst moments before the deadly crash.

Police said the bus was carrying 37 students, four teachers and a driver from Farkadona, a small town 205 miles north of Athens.

“The situation is tragic. The crash with the truck overturned the bus. Exactly how it happened we do not know,” said deputy Greek fire chief Andreas Kois.

The principle of Farkadona high school, Petros Hahopoulos, said three buses loaded with students left the town at dawn to drive south to Athens to watch Paralympics.

International Paralympic Committee spokeswoman Miriam Wilkens said it was “a very sad day”.

“School children have been big supporters of all Paralympic athletes and now it is time for us to offer our support to the friends and families of those involved in the accident,” Wilkens said.

It was the second crash involving high school students in the past 18 months. In April 2003, 21 were killed in central Greece when another bus crashed into a truck on the main north-south highway.

Organisers cancelled the festive segment of the closing ceremony which was going to have a party atmosphere.

Instead, International Paralympic Committee President Phil Craven will make a speech, athletes will enter the stadium and the games’ flag will be handed over to Beijing officials, who will organise the 2008 Olympics and Paralympics. Then the flame will be extinguished.

“The only part of the ceremony that will take place will be the completion protocol of the Games,” Athens organisers said.