Three people hurt in Moscow taxi incident to be discharged from hospital: RIA

RUSSIA - Three people injured when a taxi drove into pedestrians in central Moscow on Saturday will be released from hospital in coming days, state news agency RIA cited a city health official as saying. The taxi drove into a crowd of pedestrians near the Kremlin and injured seven, including two Mexicans visiting the city for the soccer World Cup, which Russia is hosting. Video of the incident posted on social media showed a yellow taxi pull sharply out of a line of stationary traffic, accelerate and mount a narrow pavement packed with pedestrians, knocking over several people.

Three of the injured remain in hospital in stable condition and will soon be discharged, RIA cited Alexei Khripun, head of the Moscow city health department, as saying on Sunday. The other people who were injured had already been discharged, Khripun said, according to RIA. Russia, increasingly isolated on the world stage, is keen to use the tournament to project an image of stability and strength. Authorities have vowed a safe event, and any security incidents involving fans could jeopardize Russia’s efforts.

The taxi driver, whose license was issued in the predominantly Muslim ex-Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan, according to the Moscow traffic management authority, said he had worked for 20 hours that day and had accelerated by accident.

Moscow police said they had opened a criminal investigation.

(Reuters)