The Minister of Sports issued an urgent statement: This is a terrible tragedy

In the accident, a sixteen-year-old Partizan judo athlete lost his life, while several other children were injured.

This morning, at around 3:30 a.m., a traffic accident occurred on the Belgrade–Novi Sad highway in which one child was killed when a van transporting young judokas ran off the road after the toll station, broke through the guardrail, and fell into a ditch.

The vehicle carried eight underage passengers aged 13 to 16, who are members of the “Partizan” judo club from Belgrade and were returning from an international sports camp and competition in Azerbaijan.

• Two children are in intensive care unit; here is the latest information about the injured judo athletes

Minister Gajić immediately went to the Emergency Center in Belgrade upon learning of the accident to meet the child being transported for surgery, and then proceeded to the Clinical Center of Vojvodina and the Children’s Hospital in Novi Sad to support all the injured members of the “Partizan” judo club and ensure they were receiving all necessary medical care.

"This is a terrible tragedy that has deeply shaken all of us. In these difficult times, the Ministry of Sports is at the disposal of the families of the deceased and injured athletes, as well as the Partizan judo club, to provide all possible help and support," Minister Gajić said, according to a statement from the Ministry of Sports.

• The Ministry of the Interior announced: Members of the “Partizan” judo club from Belgrade were in the vehicle