The death toll in traffic accidents in the Ulyanovsk region rose to 16. Almost all of the dead were in a minibus stuck between two trucks on the highway between the settlements of Novospasskoye and Nikolaevka.
“It has been determined that 15 people in the minibus and 1 person in a heavy truck have died as a result of the accident. Three people have been hospitalized, one has been released for outpatient treatment,” a source from the emergency services told TASS.
Alexei Russkikh, the governor of the Ulyanovsk region, said earlier on the Telegram channel that the doctors of the Nikolaev regional hospital were fighting for the life of the three survivors.
“Two men and one woman are in serious condition. All necessary medical assistance is provided. We are preparing patients for transfer to the regional special trauma center located in Ulyanovsk, ”she wrote.
A TASS source in the emergency room suggested that there may still be people inside the van. In total, there were 18 passengers in the car before. The interlocutor added that, according to unconfirmed information, they are citizens of Kazakhstan.
Police forces reported that the truck driver did not slow down in time and got into the minibus with another truck in front of it. TASS writes that the region’s Ministry of Internal Affairs claimed that all the dead and wounded were adults.
“The driver of the heavy truck failed to slow down beforehand, colliding with a parked van that was entering reverse traffic on a repaired section of the road. “The minibus got stuck between two trucks,” he said.
The truck driver is dead.
Meanwhile, the regional Investigative Committee opened a criminal case.
“Investigators and forensic experts from the investigation department went to the scene of the accident to investigate particularly important cases. At the moment, the investigation of the crime scene, urgent investigative actions are carried out. In a statement from the regional press service of the Investigative Committee of the RF Investigative Committee, it was stated that a criminal case was launched.
Eyewitness Nina Zotova told socialbites.ca that she saw the accident on the way from Syzran to the Penza region.
“There was a column of cars on a certain section of the M5 highway. As we drove a few cars along the oncoming lane, we stopped thinking about road repairs,” he said.
“As we were climbing the mountain, we saw cars driving along the side of the road and onto the field, and we decided to follow them. In the distance, they saw a car with flashers, fire trucks approached, they saw a flat car among trucks, people were walking, a policeman was sitting nearby writing something. There was a huge traffic jam for miles, ”says the woman. He also gave a video she.
He also noted that the victims did not appear, at least on the side of the road. “We were back on the road and 300-500 meters later an ambulance drove towards us, a loaf,” he said.
In the first six months of 2022, in the traffic accidents in which 53.5 thousand people lost their lives (-7.2% compared to the same period of the previous year), 53.5 thousand victim accidents occurred (-3.9% compared to the same period of the previous year), and 67 thousand people were injured (-7.5%), the State Traffic Inspectorate reported in July. At the same time, the number of victims of road collisions increased in 35 regions of Russia. Thus, the death toll in Sevastopol doubled. Anti-rating also included the Krasnodar Territory, Tatarstan, Belgorod Region, Moscow.