Reuters
Eight people — including two from Mexico — were injured Saturday when a taxi driver plowed into a crowd of World Cup fans in Moscow.
Police said their initial investigation found the driver likely lost control of vehicle — and probably had not targeted the crowd.
MarketWatch Topics: 2018 World Cup in Russia
The accident, which happened shortly after Iceland and Argentina finished playing to a 1-1 draw in Spartak Stadium, took place on tourist-packed Ilinka Street, about 650 feet from Red Square.
CCTV footage distributed on social media shows the driver —identified as a 28-year-old national of Kyrgyzstan — turning right as it passes traffic on a one way street, and then accelerating when he reaches the packed sidewalk, travelling a few more feet before hitting a traffic sign.
The driver then ditched his vehicle began to run, but was stopped by bystanders as he insisted, “It wasn’t me!’’ according to press reports.
A source told Interfax that the driver fell asleep at the wheel and pressed the accelerator pedal by accident. Other reports indicated he may have been drunk.
At least five of the victims — the two from Mexico, two Russians and one Ukrainian — were hospitalized. Moscow’s health department said one of the victims was in serious condition and seven were in satisfactory condition. Specifics on their injuries were not immediately available.
With wire-service contributions.