(WARNING: THE ABOVE VIDEO IS EXTREMELY GRAPHIC)
A fifteen-year-old Austrian synchronized swimmer has been seriously injured after being hit by a shuttle bus in the athletes’ village at the European Games in Baku. Two of her team mates were also injured.
Meydan TV has obtained a video which appears to show the accident – in which a bus can be seen travelling at high speed and ploughing into a group of people.
The Austrian Olympic Committee (AOC) said Vanessa Sahinovic was “severely injured” with multiple fractures and has been flown to Vienna for further treatment.
Fifteen-year-old Luna Pajer was also flown from Azerbaijan to the Austrian capital after suffering injuries to both arms. Verena Breit bruised her right thigh and has returned to the village.
The AOC said the collision happened at 8:30am local time on Thursday, when the young athletes were walking on the pavement in the Olympic village.
According to the pro-government APA News Agency, President of the Austrian Olympic Committee Karl Stoss expressed his gratitude to the Azerbaijani authorities for their assistance in sending the injured athletes to Vienna.
