Twelve people died and over 30 others were injured when a Polish bus slipped off a motorway in northwestern Croatia and crashed into a ditch early on Saturday.

Local police in Croatia reported that “a serious accident took place around 5:40 (03:40 UTC). The bus deviated and fell into a ditch off the highway.”

Twelve passengers died and 32 were taken to local hospitals with injuries. As of Sunday morning, nineteen of those injured in the accident remain in serious condition, according to Croatia’s Minister of Health, Vili Berosz.

Top Polish officials, including the President and Prime Minister, have extended their deepest sympathies to the victims’ families.

In a post on Twitter, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the traveling Poles “were all pilgrims heading for Medjugorje,” a Catholic sanctuary in neighboring Bosnia that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.

The group also included three priests and six nuns, according to the Polish Radio IAR news agency.

Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland

Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of risking nuclear catastrophe after three Russian missiles reportedly hit a high-voltage power line on Friday at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

According to Ukraine’s state nuclear energy company Energoatom, “the plant still works, and no radioactive leak has been detected,” adding that “by resorting to terror, the invaders are putting the whole civilized world in danger.”

Russian occupation authorities in the nearby city of Energodar claim it was Ukrainian shells that struck the lines at the plant, with the Russian Interfax news agency quoting city authorities saying that a “fire had broken out on the plant’s premises.”

In his daily video address on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the bombing of the site “a shameless, brazen crime and an act of terror,” adding that Russia must be held responsible for creating a threat to a nuclear power plant.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is located about 200 km northwest of the Russian-held port of Mariupol and is currently the largest such plant in Europe. It was captured by Russian troops early in March and is currently being operated by Ukrainian staff under Russian supervision.

Earlier in the week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that the situation at the nuclear power plant remains “volatile.”

Source: Radio Poland, PAP

The head of Amnesty International’s Ukraine office has resigned, accusing the rights organization of parroting Kremlin propaganda in a recent report which criticizes the Ukrainian military.

Amnesty sparked outrage when it released a report on Thursday accusing the military of endangering civilians by establishing bases in schools and hospitals and launching counterattacks from heavily populated areas.

Amnesty’s Oksana Pokalchuk announced her resignation late Friday on social media, claiming she was ignored after trying to warn Amnesty’s senior leadership that the report was one-sided and failed to properly take the Ukrainian position into account.

“As a result, the organization unintentionally put out a statement that sounded like support for Russian narratives. Striving to protect civilians, this research instead became a tool of Russian propaganda,” Pokalchuk noted.

Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard defended the report’s integrity on Twitter, dismissing critics as “Ukrainian and Russian social media mobs and trolls.”

Source: Radio Poland, Reuters

Gdańsk police are encouraging residents to take advantage of a free service to label their bikes with a custom ID number, which may help locate the bike in case of theft.

During the process, “a special number is engraved on the frame, which is then entered into a nationwide database,” explains Deputy Inspector Magdalena Ciska. In the event of theft, [the number] may help police track down the stolen bicycle.

The free service is available by appointment on Wednesday and Saturday at three police stations in Gdańsk. Detailed instructions are available on the website of the Municipal Police Headquarters in Gdańsk or via email at oznakujrower@gd.policja.gov.pl.

Source: Radio Gdańsk

Weather

Today will be partly cloudy and warm, with very little chance of rain and a gentle breeze coming in from the west and north. Temperatures will peak around a high of 21°C, or 70°F, dropping to an overnight low of 13°C or 56°F. Slightly cooler weather is expected tomorrow, with temperatures warming up later in the week.

Elizabeth Peck/jk