A tour bus crash in Croatia has killed eight people and injured 44 others. The bus was carrying more than 50 Czech tourists when it overturned while on its way to the coastal resort city of Split.

Officials said the bus went through a highway safety barrier and rolled over around 4 a.m. Saturday. The wreck took place some 200 kilometers south of Croatia's capital, Zagreb, closing the road for some time.

Most of the injured were taken to a nearby hospital, but three severely injured victims, including two children, were flown to Zagreb for treatment.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

1. SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Doctor Marija Vrkljan Ilijevska, Director of Gospic General Hospital

“We have received 44 patients in our hospital, some of them have been treated already, some of them are still in the process (of treatment). Three of those 44 were sent to the Clinical Centre in Dubrava (in Zagreb).”

2. SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Kristina Madous, police spokeswoman:

“This morning at around 4 o'clock, a serious road accident occurred on the A1 highway, near the Krpani tunnel, involving a tourist bus with Czech registration plates, which carried some 50 passengers. Seven people were killed and the injured were transported to the general hospital in Gospic.”