Monday, June 11, 2007
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina —
A bus carrying American pilgrims heading to a Catholic shrine in southern Bosnia collided with another vehicle Monday, injuring 27 passengers including three seriously, officials said.All of the injured were hospitalized in two different hospitals in Sarajevo following the crash in Tarcin, about 12 miles south of Sarajevo, the U.S. Embassy said.
"We are currently accessing the injuries and all I can say now is that three people sustained serious injuries, possibly life-threatening," said Dr. Lidija Lincender of Sarajevo's Kosevo hospital.
The embassy said the Americans were mainly from Wisconsin. Kathleen Hohl of the Milwaukee Roman Catholic Archdiocese said most of the group was from the her archdiocese, but didn't provide hometowns. She said the group was on a 10-day pilgrimage.
Hohl said that the Rev. Rick Wendell, associate pastor at Holy Angels Parish in West Bend, Wis., was among those with non-serious injuries. She said he was serving as spiritual director on the privately sponsored tour.
Bosnian police said the bus collided with another vehicle, but declined to provide other details. Hohl said the accident involved the bus and a jackknifed truck.
The embassy said the bus passengers had been on their way to the southern Bosnian town of Medjugorje, where millions of faithful have visited a shrine since 1981, when six Bosnian Croats said they began seeing apparitions of the Virgin Mary. The Medjugorje apparition has not been officially recognized by the Catholic Church.
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