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2 die in bus crash near Olympic rowing venue

Van struck vehicle carrying Croatian athletes, neither of whom was hurt

Image: Olympic bus crash
Two Croatian rowers were aboard this bus when it was struck by a van outside the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park in Beixiaoying Town, near Beijing, on Wednesday. No one on the bus was seriously hurt.
AP
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updated 4:56 a.m. ET Aug. 14, 2008

BEIJING - Two people involved in a crash near the Olympic rowing venue have died, the Beijing Olympic organizing committee said Thursday.

A bus from the athletes’ village collided with a van Wednesday on the way to the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park.

Committee spokesman Wang Wei said two of the four van passengers died in a hospital. BOCOG said the other two passengers, one seriously injured, were still hospitalized.

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“According to the investigation, the van was at fault and violated traffic rules,” Wang said.

Two Croatian rowers, the doubles sculls team of Mario Vekic and Ante Kusurin, were on the bus but were not seriously injured. They competed later Wednesday and finished fourth in their semifinal.

Australian rowing team doctor Greg Lovell was also on the bus, along with several other Olympic-accredited people. No one on the bus was seriously injured.

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