Bus Plunges Into Black Sea in Russia, Killing At Least 18 People

A view shows a damaged bus, which plunged into the Black Sea while carrying a group of workers, on a pier near the settlement of Volna in the Krasnodar region, Russia on August 25, 2017. (Russian Emergencies Ministry/Handout via REUTERS)

At least 18 people were killed in southern Russia’s Krasnodar region when a bus plunged into the Black Sea on Friday (August 25), Russian news agencies reported.

Over a dozen people were injured, five of whom were in a serious condition, Interfax news agency reported, citing the emergency ministry which carried out rescue works.

There were at least 45 people on the bus, which fell from a several-metre-high pier, a part of oil shipment infrastructure on the Black Sea coast.

The crash on Friday morning was likely caused by a failure in the vehicle’s braking system, said Oteko Portservice company, which runs the shipment facility.

Russian investigative committee said several versions of what could have led to the accident are investigated.

Pictures from the scene, published by the emergency ministry on its website, showed a group of divers on two boats searching waters underneath the pier and a recovered bus wreckage.

Rescuers work near a pier after a bus carrying a group of workers plunged into the Black Sea outside the settlement of Volna in the Krasnodar region, Russia on August 25, 2017. (Russian Emergencies Ministry/Handout via REUTERS)

Government investigators were looking into whether violation of security rules and traffic regulations took place.

By Gleb Stolyarov