Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at Palazzo Chigi, in Rome, Italy, on June 24, 2024. Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters
A police officer who was part of the security escort for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was killed in a traffic accident in the German city of Stuttgart on Monday.
Orban was on his way to the airport, after watching Hungary defeat Scotland in a dramatic Euro 2024 match the previous evening.
The Hungarian prime minister wasn’t harmed in the accident and continued his journey to Stuttgart Airport as planned, a police spokesperson told CNN.
The 61-year-old officer was critically injured in the collision and later died in the hospital, according to police. Another officer, aged 27, was also hospitalized with serious injuries.
The accident occurred at around 11:15 a.m. on Monday, when a 69-year-old BMW driver attempted to turn onto a closed road that was on the path of the police escort.
The driver apparently did not see the roadblock and collided with the officer’s motorcycle, which was then thrown due to the force of impact onto the motorcycle of the other officer.
“We are deeply shocked by the accident involving our colleague,” Police Commissioner Markus Eisenbraun said.
“We are stunned by the tragic circumstances surrounding the death of our esteemed colleague, and the entire Stuttgart police force is deeply saddened.”
“Our thoughts are with his family, relatives and friends. We send our best wishes for a speedy recovery to our colleague who was also seriously injured in the accident,” Eisenbraun added.
