Croatian Defense Minister Injured in Deadly Car Crash

BELGRADE (Sputnik) - Croatian Defense Minister Mario Banozic was taken to hospital on Saturday after receiving serious, but non-life-threatening injuries in a traffic accident that claimed the life of one person, Krunoslav Sporcic, director of hospital in the Croatian city of Vinkovci, said.

"Minister Mario Banozic was admitted to our hospital after a car accident at about 6:40 a.m. [05:40 GMT] today. The initial assessment showed that he has serious physical injuries, but his life is not in danger at the moment," the hospital director told the Croatian Radiotelevision broadcaster.

The hospital chief said the minister was conscious despite having a concussion. Banozic was transferred to a clinic in Osijek for neurological monitoring.

The Croatian government said the car accident left a person in another vehicle dead and expressed condolences to the bereaved family. Croatian media identified the deceased as a 40-year-old father of two who was behind the wheel of a station wagon when the two cars collided on a wet road earlier on Saturday morning.