Moscow taxi crash ‘appears to have been an accident’

UK POLICE have been assured by Russian authorities that a taxi crash which injured eight in Moscow was an accident.

Mark Roberts, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for football policing, said his Russian colleagues were quick to share information and allay any concerns.

Large numbers of Russian police are on patrol in public squares and around stadiums in order to deter the threat of terrorism and fan disorder.

A video which circulated online purportedly capturing the crash showed the driver ploughing into pedestrians, including two Mexican World Cup fans, on a pavement near Red Square on Saturday. Police said the Kyrgyz driver told them he fell asleep and accidentally hit the accelerator.

Speaking ahead of England’s first match against Tunisia tonight, Mr Roberts, the deputy chief constable of South Yorkshire Police, said: “I have not seen the video but obviously we’ve discussed it and as far as I understand it that just appears to be an accident.

“There’s nothing we’ve been told that there’s anything malicious about it so I think it’s just one of those things that can happen in a country. And I think we just need to be careful over the next few weeks that as soon as something happens we don’t assume the worst.

“It’s important to get the facts and then deal with what the situation actually is rather than making suppositions.”