One person killed as car ploughs into pedestrians in World Cup host city of Sochi
Early indications are that the driver fell asleep at the wheel, Russian police said
A 63-year-old resident was killed and three other people were hospitalised after a car mounted the pavement and hit pedestrians in the World Cup host city of Sochi, Russia, police said on Wednesday, but they said there was no suggestion it was intentional.
Police said initial signs suggested the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel.
Moscow taxi driver ploughs into crowd, hurting 8 including two
Sochi is one of 11 cities where matches in the soccer World Cup are being played. The Black Sea resort city has been the site of five matches and will host the quarter final between Russia and Croatia on Saturday.
Police said the crash occurred about 45 kilometres (28 miles) from Sochi’s stadium. The driver had driven across a lane of incoming traffic before mounting the pavement, striking pedestrians.
Authorities have vowed to stage a safe soccer World Cup. Last month in Moscow a Kyrgyz taxi driver drove into a crowd of pedestrians near Red Square, injuring seven people.
The driver was seen later in a video released by police, confessing to having fallen asleep at the wheel. It was unclear whether he was under duress at the time.
