Serb minister hurt in car crash

Dragan Jocic is a close ally of the prime minister

Serbia's Interior Minister, Dragan Jocic, has been badly injured in a car accident, police have said.

His driver was also hurt when he lost control of the vehicle after hitting a dog on a road south-east of Belgrade, police said.

Mr Jocic, a close associate of Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, was taken to a hospital in the capital. He was operated on and was said to be stable.

Mr Jocic, 48, was appointed interior minister in 2004.

Born in Montenegro, he was a founding member of the Democratic Party of Serbia.

The accident occurred late on Friday near Velika Plana, about 70km (45 miles) south-east of Belgrade. Police said the car flipped several times before going off the road.