At least seven hurt after out-of-control taxi climbs pavement near the Kremlin
At least seven people were injured on Saturday when a Moscow taxi driver apparently lost control of his car near Red Square on the third day of the Fifa World Cup in Russia.
Security footage showed the yellow cab turning right as it tried to pass some standing traffic on a one-way street, then accelerated as it reached the crowded pavement and drove a few metres before hitting a traffic sign and coming to an abrupt stop.
Two passers-by immediately tried to force open the driver’s door. The taxi driver eventually jumped out and began running away but the crowd chased him down a side street.
Moscow city authorities identified the driver as a Kyrgyzstani, 28, who was taken into police custody for questioning.
“According to preliminary information, seven people requested medical assistance,” the Moscow police department said. “The preliminary cause of the accident is that the driver lost control of the vehicle.”
Police released no further official information.
A witness at the police station shared a picture of the driver sitting handcuffed on a bench and looking dazed.
He is quoted as telling the police that he had been working for more than two days straight driving World Cup tourists and had accidentally stepped on the accelerator.
The incident occurred about 200 metres from Red Square, as Moscow was packed with foreign football fans snapping pictures of the Kremlin.
Russian news agencies later quoted the Moscow Health Department as saying eight people were hurt.
“Seven of them are in satisfactory condition and one woman is in moderate condition,” a health department official said.
The Ria Novosti news agency quoted an unidentified source as saying that two Mexicans and two citizens of Azerbaijan were hurt.
Police closed the street for about an hour before opening it back up to traffic. Security has been a top concern heading into the tournament, which runs until July 15.
At least 600,000 foreign tourists are expected to visit Russia during the most watched event in the world.
The incident occurred shortly after Argentina and Iceland finished playing to a 1-1 draw in Moscow’s Spartak Stadium, about 13 kilometres northwest of Red Square.