Tragedy in Zagorje and Rampage on a Bus: Three Dead and Three Arrested
Bodies of a father and his two minor children found in Sveti Križ Začretje, while youths arrested near Dramalj for attacking a conductor and driver.
Bodies of a father and his two minor children found in Sveti Križ Začretje, while youths arrested near Dramalj for attacking a conductor and driver.
The past weekend in Croatia was shaken by two separate incidents. In a family home in Sveti Križ Začretje, the bodies of three people were found, while near Dramalj, three young men were arrested after they insulted and physically attacked a bus conductor and driver, and damaged the vehicle.
On Saturday, a family tragedy occurred in Sveti Križ Začretje. According to police reports, during an investigation led by the duty deputy of the County State Attorney's Office in Zagreb, the bodies of a 46-year-old father and his two minor children, a 17-year-old son and a 14-year-old daughter, were found on the upper floor of the family home. Additionally, it was determined that a fire had been deliberately set in several rooms of the house, causing a blaze.
The police announced that the bodies were transported to the Institute of Forensic Medicine and Criminology in Zagreb for autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. Although there is no official confirmation yet, unofficial information suggests suspicions of murder and suicide. Local media report neighbors' accounts of hearing three gunshots, followed by the outbreak of fire. The fire damage to the bodies and the significantly destroyed interior of the house have complicated the reconstruction of events and the determination of the cause of death.
Unofficially, it has been learned that the couple was separating and that the mother of the children had not been living in the house recently, but with her own family. The agreed custody arrangement did not hint at such an outcome. Minister of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, Alen Ružić, stated for HTV that the family had not been previously registered in the social welfare system.
"The family had no contact, whether official or advisory, with the social welfare system. Until now, we as a system had no information,"said Minister Ružić. He added that intervention teams are ready to provide assistance to the mother and other immediate family members, from material to psychosocial support.
The mayor of the Municipality of Sveti Križ Začretje, Marko Kos, expressed deep regret over the incident.
"This is a tragedy for the whole town. After the official investigation, we expect official information so that we can declare a day of mourning. This is a tragedy that has devastated us,"said Mayor Kos.
On the same day, Saturday, the Crikvenica police station had an intervention in the Dramalj area. Three Croatian citizens, a 20-year-old and two minors, were disturbing public order on a bus around 9 PM. When the conductor asked for their tickets, they refused to show them and began insulting and shoving him.
The 33-year-old driver, a foreign national, came to his colleague's aid and was slightly injured in the scuffle. The youths then fled the bus, but during their escape, they threw stones that damaged the vehicle's windshield. Following a report from citizens, police officers quickly located and arrested the perpetrators and brought them to the Crikvenica police station.
All three suspects were sanctioned for misdemeanor public order violations. The 20-year-old will also face criminal charges with the competent state attorney's office for suspicion of committing the criminal offense of damaging another's property.
