The preliminary results of autopsies show that the most likely cause of death for the two Maltese couples who tragically died in a traffic accident in Croatia was drowning, Croatian media have reported.

Croatian news portal Index.hr reported that Jeremy Gambin (68), his wife Lorraine (67), Kevin Bonnici (67) and his wife Alexandra (66) suffered only minor injuries as a result of the crash itself, but then died by drowning after their rental car plunged into the sea.

The two couples were on holiday in Croatia when tragedy stuck as they crashed on a road close to the town of Senj, with the vehicle they were in ending up in the sea.

Speculation initially arose that the driver may have suffered a sudden health issue, causing him to lose control of the vehicle. However, the autopsy ruled out this theory, finding that all of the victims had healthy hearts and no underlying medical conditions that could have led to the crash, the report says.

The autopsy results showed that the four victims only suffered slight injuries as a result of the crash itself, but then were unable to get out of the vehicle when it plunged into the sea.

The investigation into the cause of the fatal crash continues, Croatian media report.