Two ethnic Armenians among wounded in Kaluga bus crash
Two ethnic Armenians holding Russian citizenship are among those injured in a bus crash near Kaluga Oblast, Russia, the Armenian Embassy in Moscow told Panorama.am.
The Armenians affected in the crash are identified as Maria Arakelyan (b. 2008) and Sona Adamyan (b. 1988), with both of them taken to the Kaluga city hospital.
“Information on the other victims is being clarified. The embassy is in constant touch with Russia’s relevant authorities,” the embassy said.
Seven people died in the bus crash, including four children, a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry’s regional department told TASS. 32 people, 23 of them children, were hospitalized.
The accident occurred at 9:15 am on Sunday when the bus carrying 45 people, including 31 children, overturned and fell into a ditch, the Emergencies Ministry said, updating previous reports that it was carrying 48 people. According to the ministry, the children were going to Kaluga for competitions.
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. Two criminal cases have been opened into violating traffic rules and providing services failing to meet safety requirements, resulting in the death of two or more people. The bus driver has been detained and is undergoing medical examination.