New details have emerged about the deadly traffic accident in Romania that killed seven passengers and left three others injured, shedding light on the factors that spared the lives of the survivors.

According to preliminary findings from the ongoing investigation, the three passengers survived because they were seated on the right side and in the rear of the minivan, away from the point of impact during the crash with an oncoming truck.

The collision occurred when the minivan, carrying a group of Greek soccer supporters, struck a truck traveling in the opposite direction. Investigators determined that the crash was a partial head-on impact that concentrated most of its force on the left side of the vehicle, where the driver was seated.

The left side of the minivan sustained severe deformation, while the right side remained comparatively intact due to the angle of the impact. As a result, passengers seated on the right and in the rear were shielded from fatal injuries, allowing them to escape the wreckage alive.

A witness who was driving two vehicles behind the minivan described erratic movement moments before the crash, saying the vehicle “moved in an S pattern” as the driver attempted to assess whether it was safe to overtake another vehicle. According to the witness, the driver realized mid-maneuver that the pass could not be completed, struck a truck while trying to return to his lane, and was then pushed into oncoming traffic, where the fatal collision occurred.

The same witness contacted emergency services and reported seeing one of the survivors exit the wreckage on foot after the crash.

The three injured passengers were transported to a hospital in the Romanian city of Timișoara. Two of them are in stable condition and are scheduled to be repatriated to Greece aboard a military transport aircraft, where they will continue treatment at a hospital in Thessaloniki. The third survivor requires emergency surgery following new imaging tests and will remain hospitalized in Romania until doctors determine that travel is safe.

Police officials said the investigation remains at a preliminary stage and that a full forensic analysis will determine the exact causes of the crash.