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 Transport and Communication Minister of Armenia Gagik Belgaryan conducted today a sitting of a special commission to discuss a draft decision of the Armenian government on compensation payments to the families of the people who were killed and injured in a Yerevan-bound passenger bus that crashed near Tula, Russia.

The ministry’s press service reported that it was decided to pay 1.5 million drams to the families of the citizens who died in the crash, 14 victims who are undergoing treatment in Russia will each receive 700,000 drams, and other passengers will each receive 500,000 drams.

The draft decision will be submitted for approval at the upcoming session of the government.

The minister yesterday informed reporters about the plans to pay compensation. “The state bears only humanitarian responsibility for this accident, we should help our compatriots at the difficult time,” Gagik Beglaryan said. He reminded those present that the Armenian government also covered the costs of transportation of the injured passengers and the bodies of those killed and the other expenses.

The bus accident happened around 2:10 am on November 3 at the 221st km of M-4 interstate highway in Tula region of Russia. Under still unclear circumstances the driver of Higer bus en route from Moscow to Yerevan lost control of the vehicle. The bus overturned and came to rest on its side. According to some media reports, the crash happened because the driver fell asleep at the wheel. But investigators do not rule out that he exceeded the speed limit. The crash left 9 people dead and 32 others injured. All the passengers of the bus were Armenian citizens. The bus was owned by an Armenian company, King Deluxe. On November 4 the Uzlovsky city court in Russia ruled that the bus driver Garnik Harutyunyan, 44, should be kept in detention for two months – until January 3, 2016.