A special Air Force flight departing from Elefsina airbase is expected to bring back to Thessaloniki today, Thursday, the bodies of seven young PAOK fans who lost their lives in the tragic traffic accident in Timisoara, Romania, while traveling to Lyon to watch their beloved team play.
Simultaneously, two of the injured will be transported to Thessaloniki via a specially equipped Ministry of Health aircraft to continue their treatment in a Greek hospital. However, the critically injured member of the group remains in serious condition and cannot be moved at this time. Yesterday, he underwent surgery at Timisoara hospital after a new MRI scan revealed complications, leading Romanian doctors to decide against allowing his return to Greece.
In a social media post, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis stated that the National Emergency Medical Service was ready to receive all three injured fans, but the deterioration of one patient’s condition led to immediate surgical intervention. He noted that two injured fans will return normally, while a new decision will be made regarding the third based on his health progress, emphasizing that the ministry remains in constant communication with Romanian authorities.
Εμείς με το ΕΚΑΒ ήμασταν και είμαστε έτοιμοι να πάμε αύριο να παραλάβουμε και τους τρεις τραυματίες οπαδούς του ΠΑΟΚ από το πολύνεκρο δυστύχημα στη Ρουμανία. Εν τούτοις πριν λίγο οι Ρουμάνοι ιατροί σε νέα μαγνητική που διενήργησαν διεπίστωσαν κάποια επιπλοκή και αποφάσισαν να τον…
— Άδωνης Γεωργιάδης (@AdonisGeorgiadi) January 28, 2026
PAOK fans accident in Romania: “Inexperienced driver, unexplained why he signaled left” – Expert accident investigator explains “lane assist” to parapolitika.gr
Technical Chamber of Greece expert and mechanical engineer Stathis Sabaziotis, speaking to parapolitika.gr and Elisabeth Stamopoulou, emphasizes that lane assist “doesn’t intervene aggressively with the driver, it gives small vibrations”. Some companies have more intense vibrations, but this varies by manufacturer.
The logic remains the same. The critical point is that the van driver first signaled right, normally entering the lane to overtake – if he had done this, nothing would have happened – but suddenly he signals left. It’s as if he’s indicating he wants to continue and overtake the vehicle ahead.” The expert leans toward concluding that the vehicle, the fatal van, likely didn’t have lane assist due to its age. “This specific model, I believe, is from 2017, if I read correctly. One needs to be careful before drawing conclusions.”
When asked about possible driver inexperience, Mr. Sabaziotis responds: “We could speak of possible driver inexperience, a situation that led him to lose control of this system. Usually it’s many small things that, when they happen at that specific moment, become fatal.”
What remains unanswered is how the fatal van’s driver attempted to overtake knowing that Romania’s DN6 highway, where numerous accidents have occurred, required special attention. “We don’t know what happened, perhaps someone distracted him, something occurred, but the critical point is when he turned on the left signal. That cannot be explained. It’s unexplained, his movement is inexplicable. The only explanation is that he wants to continue overtaking. That, yes. Against the truck, which shouldn’t have done anything,” Mr. Sabaziotis added.
Eight jerseys in PAOK’s store with the names of the fallen fans
The “Double-headed Eagle of the North’s” initiatives are deeply moving. After the flares outside and inside the stadium, as well as the scarves, now the jerseys of the seven PAOK fans who lost their lives in Romania on Tuesday (27/01) are displayed in the team’s store. There’s also a jersey with the name of the team friend who died when he learned the tragic news.
With this special gesture, the “Double-headed Eagle of the North” wanted to honor the memory of the fans. Specifically, eight jerseys have been placed upside down in the team store, each with the name of one of the deceased and the number “12,” symbolizing PAOK’s supporters.
Next to them stands another jersey with the word “Immortal,” bearing the “black” date of January 27, 2026, when they lost their lives, sending a powerful message of memory and honor. The jersey with the name “Constantine” next to the “Immortal” jersey is in memory of the PAOK friend from Larissa who died yesterday from cardiac arrest.
Dead PAOK fans in Romania: These are the faces of the horrific accident
Seven of the 10 PAOK fans aboard the van were killed in the traffic accident, while three were injured. One is critically injured but has escaped danger, and the other two suffered minor injuries. Vasilis Moldovanof, Vasilis Palo, Christos Zepos, Giorgos Kesanidis, Kostas Markopoulos, and Dimitris Maronitis are six of the seven “Double-headed Eagle of the North” fans who left life so early and unjustly.
The three friends Kostas Markopoulos, Dimitris Maronitis, and Vasilis Palo accompanied their team to many away games and traveled with them for European matches. They did the same when they boarded the black van that would take them to Lyon.
