The young Austrian synchronised swimmer seriously injured after being struck by a bus in the athletes’ village at the European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan, is in a medically-induced coma with “serious spinal injuries”, according to a team official in Vienna.

Fifteen-year-old Vanessa Sahinovic was flown back to the Austrian capital on Thursday night along with her team-mate Luna Pajer, who suffered an elbow injury.

Sahinovic’s injuries from Thursday’s accident are not said to be life-threatening but she suffered multiple broken bones in the incident and, according to the Austrian team, doctors say it will take a number of weeks before any possible implications of her injuries are known.

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