Three passengers killed as bus crashes into river in Russia's St Petersburg
Emergency workers pull a passenger bus that fell off a bridge into a river in Saint Petersburg on Friday. Reuters
"Rescuers took nine people out of the sunken bus ...," the emergency situations ministry said on social media. "Unfortunately, three people died," and two others were in a serious condition, the ministry added. The ministry said divers were attaching slings to lift the bus out of the water.
The police earlier said that there were "around 20 people" on board the bus, which crashed into the Moyka River in the historic city centre.
Closed-circuit video images apparently showing the crash were broadcast on Russian media.
A surveillance video released by the Russian media showed the bus driving fast, making a sharp turn onto the bridge and colliding with another vehicle before breaking through the barrier and falling into the water and sinking within seconds.
Authorities in St. Petersburg said that the owner of the bus had been fined 23 times for various violations. Private companies run most of the city's bus services.
The bus driver was detained by police. His wife was quoted by Russian media as saying that managers forced him to work a morning shift after working for 20 hours the previous day and getting virtually no rest.
Authorities opened a criminal investigation into alleged traffic violations and unsafe travel services.
Agencies
