Riga /
A 22-year-old man was killed and at least 14 bystanders were injured. when a driven car by a Latvian crew crashed into a crowd watching a rally on Friday night in the Lithuanian town of Utena.
Local media in Lithuania and Latvia reported that the accident occurred around 9:50 p.m. local time when a ford focus driven by a Latvian driver and his co-driver lost control on a sharp curve and crashed into a crowd of spectators.
Videos posted on social networks They showed injured people lying on the side of the road and emergency vehicles arriving with flashing lights.
???????? Vakar vakarā Lietuvas pilsētā Utenā “”Samsonas Rally Utena 2024” posma laikā avarējusi Latvijas sportistu ekipāža un ietriekusies skatītājos. Bojā gāja 1 cilvēks, 14 guvuši ievainojumus.#Utena #Lietuva
Aculiecinieki stāsta, ka iepriekšējās mašīna notrieca siena ruļļus a… pic.twitter.com/ieXFiMHiFY— BreakingLV (@breakinglv) September 28, 2024
Racing fans had gathered to watch the Samsonas Rally Utena 24a car racing event that has now been cancelled.
Lithuanian police have launched an investigation into the accident as a wrongful death and injury case.
The President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda expressed their condolences for the death of the young spectator and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
There are conflicting reports about the cause of the accident, Some people who attended the race said that hay bales used to mark a sharp turn where the accident later occurred were hit by other drivers and the Latvian driver did not see the danger.
Piektdien Lietuvas autorallija sacensībās “Samsonas Rally Utena 2024”, kas bija arī Latvijas rallija čempionāta sezonas pēdējais, sestais posms, skatītāju pūlī ietriecies latviešu ekipāžas sacīkšu auto. Negadījumā cietuši vismaz 14 cilvēki, bet vēl viens gājis bojā.… pic.twitter.com/OuTtigNqao
— LTV Ziņu dienests (@ltvzinas) September 28, 2024
AVV