The news that travelled at record speed yesterday afternoon from Romania to Greece was literally devastating. Seven PAOK fans were killed and three others injured in an extremely shocking road accident during their journey from Greece to Lyon, France, where they were due to watch their beloved team, the “Double-Headed Eagle of the North,” play on Thursday.

A dash cam from a truck travelling on the road was an indisputable witness to the deadly crash that occurred yesterday in Timiș County, on road DN6–E70, near the town of Lugojelul, at the entrance to the Lugoj ring road.

The black van carrying ten PAOK supporters had just overtaken the truck with the dash cam. It then appears to move toward the right lane, but suddenly veers back into the oncoming lane and collides head-on with an approaching truck.

What the camera recorded is breathtaking. The impact was extremely violent. The vehicle was hurled off the roadway with great force, while various objects were thrown out of the van.

The manner in which the accident occurred raises dozens of questions about what really happened and how the van ended up in the opposite lane, even though it appeared to be returning to the correct lane after completing the overtaking manoeuvre.

According to information, six passengers in the van were killed instantly, while a seventh died in an ambulance. Three others were injured and are being treated at a hospital in Timișoara, Romania.

Inside the rented van were ten people from Thessaloniki, Alexandria and Katerini. According to reports, of the seven deceased, three were from Alexandria, two from Katerini and two from Thessaloniki.

“They were happy they were going – they never missed a match”

The news of the deaths of the PAOK fans hit the three cities like a bombshell. In Alexandria, Imathia, a veil of mourning covered the town. The mayor, Panagiotis Gkyrinis, said he was shaken by the unexpected loss of his fellow townspeople as well as the other PAOK supporters.
“I have no words. The whole town is in mourning; the grief is immense. They were young people, PAOK fans,” said the mayor of Alexandria, adding that “other PAOK supporters also set off from here for Lyon, some by air, others by bus.”

Tavern owner Sakis Lagogiannis described how, on Monday night (26/1), two of the three PAOK fans had visited his grill restaurant, saying they were happy. He noted that they had never missed a match of their beloved team, even abroad.
“They had been looking forward to it for days; they’ve never missed an away game. They are close to the PAOK team, fans since they were little, they follow the club everywhere. Two of the three had come to the shop; one of them had even worked for me in the past,” he said.

Candles, flowers and PAOK scarves outside a silent Toumba

Outside PAOK’s Toumba Stadium, the flags of the Double-Headed Eagle were flying at half-mast from early yesterday afternoon, while fans and local residents arrived to leave flowers, candles and PAOK scarves.

A woman who arrived early in the afternoon placed the first bouquet of white roses. “As soon as I heard, I came straight away. I can’t believe what happened,” she said emotionally to protothema.gr, recalling the road accident in October 1999 in Tempi, when a bus carrying PAOK supporters collided with a truck, veered off the road and six fans lost their lives.

The supporters who gathered last night outside Toumba Stadium stood for hours in complete silence before the improvised shrine of deep grief that grew steadily with candles, scarves and flowers.

Next to a large PAOK flag hung on the stadium fence, a supporter placed a PAOK jersey bearing a printed message:
“Safe journey to paradise, our brothers. 27.01.2026.”

At 8:30 p.m. yesterday, PAOK head coach Razvan Lucescu arrived at the site along with players and members of the club’s management, laying flowers as those gathered chanted slogans in memory of the unjustly lost fans.

Mobilisation of the Foreign Ministry and consular authorities for repatriation of the bodies

At the hospital in Timișoara where the injured are being treated, the Greek Consul and an interpreter from the Greek Embassy in Bucharest have been present since yesterday to provide every possible assistance. From the very first moment, the Embassy has been coordinating with the Romanian authorities regarding identification procedures and the repatriation of the victims.

A member of the PAOK FC Board, Marios Tsakas, also travelled to Romania, accompanied by legal advisors, to ensure that all necessary actions are taken both to support the injured and to handle other procedures related to the accident.

According to the director of the hospital in Timișoara, the three injured PAOK supporters are in stable condition and not a cause for concern.