Three Britons killed in Croatia car crash

British man and two children killed near Dubrovnik

Three members of a British family of five have died after their car crashed near the village of Slano in southern Croatia. The crash left two children and their father dead, and the man's wife and a third child critically injured. (Pixsell/Press Association Images)

A British father and his two children have been killed in a car crash in southern Croatia.

The fatal incident happened when the family’s car collided with a truck in Slano, near to Dubrovnik, at 7:50am on Thursday, local police say.

The 37-year-old father was the driver, and was killed alongside his two children. A woman, believed to be the driver's 44-year-old wife, and a third child are being treated in the city’s hospital, in intensive care.

The woman is reportedly the worse injured of the two, with the child suffering chest injuries.

Local police have confirmed the five people from the car are all British nationals, and the vehicle has UK number plates, suggesting the family had travelled from Britain to Croatia.

Local TV images of the crash scene show a black BMW completely crushed, with a large orange truck stood at the site.

The car is believed to have hit a concrete verge and bounced into the path of an oncoming truck, according to local reports.

The 46-year-old male driver of the truck, from Dubrovnik, was uninjured.

Paramedic Josko Gverovic told Sky News: "We found five persons inside the car. The scene was horrifying.

"I work in ambulance for years and I can say that this is one of the worst accidents I have witnessed.

"We did our best to help, we took the mother to hospital, she is now fighting for her life. She was in critical condition, it looked really bad."

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "We can sadly confirm the death of three British nationals and the hospitalisation of two British nationals on 31 July in Dubrovnik.

"We are providing consular assistance to the family at this very difficult time."