Twenty people die, nine injured in Vladimir region bus and truck collision

MOSCOW. March 26. KAZINFORM. Twenty people died and another four were injured when a KamAZ truck rammed head-on a Neoplan bus carrying 30 people, the press service of the regional emergency situations center told Itar-Tass.

"The bus, headed for Moscow from Ulyanovsk along the M-7 highway, collided with a truck in Vladimir Region's Petushinsky district. The force of the impact started a fire in the bus. Four people were saved, but 20 passengers died," emergency officials said. Earlier, road police put the death toll at 25. Another five people were rescued from the bus wreck, according to police. They could not immediately provide details on their condition. A road police officer said the Neoplan bus was headed for Moscow and the truck - for Vladimir. Under one of the versions, the KamAZ driver fell asleep and his vehicle drove into an incoming lane to collide head-on with the bus. Adverse weather conditions might have been a negative factor, according to road police; Kazinform has learnt from Itar-Tass.