16-Year-Old Athlete Dies, Twin Hospitalized After Van Crashes into Canal, Leaving 7 Others Injured

A 16-year-old athlete has died after a van carrying a group of young judo players overturned on a motorway in Serbia as they returned from an international competition, authorities confirmed.

The victim’s grieving father revealed that one of his twin sons was killed in the crash, while the other remains hospitalized along with seven others.

The tragic accident occurred on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at around 3:47 a.m. local time. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the passenger van — driven by a man identified only as “S.S.,” in his 40s — overturned for reasons that remain unclear while traveling from Novi Sad toward Belgrade.

The eight passengers, all minors between the ages of 13 and 16, were members of a Belgrade-based judo club returning from a global sports camp and competition held in Azerbaijan.

Local outlets Večernje novosti and Danas reported that one of the team’s coaches had been behind the wheel when the van veered off the road, broke through a fence, and landed in a canal.

“One of the coaches was driving that van and probably lost control and landed off the road and overturned,” said Nebojša Mandić, another coach with the judo club Partizan, according to Danas.

Authorities confirmed that one 16-year-old boy died at the scene. The driver and eight other passengers were taken to a hospital in Novi Sad with injuries ranging from mild to severe.

Slaviša Pavlović, father of the deceased teen, told Večernje novosti that his son’s twin brother was among those injured.

After the competition, the children had flown from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Budapest, Hungary, before continuing their journey to Belgrade by van, according to local reports.

Dr. Andrea Đuretić from the Institute for Child and Youth Health Care of Vojvodina told Večernje novosti that two of the seven surviving children, ages 13 to 15, were admitted to the ICU. One sustained a cervical spine injury and was transferred to Belgrade, while another is recovering from less serious injuries. The remaining five teens are stable and under observation.

Authorities said the driver tested negative for alcohol, and the investigation into the crash is ongoing.