Horrifying moment taxi mounts curb and ploughs into 'World Cup fans' in Moscow injuring eight

WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO - footage online appears to show vehicle ramming pedestrians
Pictures at the scene showed the damaged taxi which ran into a crowd of people in central Moscow
REUTERS
Ella Wills16 June 2018

Horrifying footage appears to show the moment a taxi driver ploughed into a busy crowd in Moscow, injuring eight people including some World Cup football fans.

Two Mexicans, two Russians and one Ukrainian were today hospitalised after the crash near the city's Red Square, but it seems that many more were hit by the vehicle.

Video circulating on social media allegedly shows the car accelerating and mounting the pavement before knocking over several pedestrians.

Moscow police said the driver had a Kyrgyz driving licence and lost control of the vehicle.

The clip shows people being carried on the bonnet of the car for a short distance.

The car then drives into a street sign and stops as people rush over to try and grab the driver.

The driver, wearing black trousers and a black t-shirt, jumps out of the vehicle and attempts to run away but is pursued by a number of people.

Local media suggested he may have been drunk.

The bumper was ripped off from the taxi in the incident
Moscow Traffic Authority

Police said eight were hurt in the incident, which took place as locals and visiting football fans filled the city.

A witness told Reuters some of the people hit were wearing Mexican team colours.

Mexico take on Germany in their first World Cup match at Moscow's Luzhniki stadium tomorrow.

Pictures from the scene showed emergency services gathered around the vehicle
Moscow Traffic Authority

Another said about the driver of the taxi: "He was pulled out of the vehicle, he ran off but bystanders apprehended him. He was shouting: 'It wasn't me'."

Asked if the driver appeared drunk, the witness said: "No, he wasn't drunk."

However, Interfax news agency cited a source as saying that the driver was drunk at the time of the incident.

No one was critically injured after the incident, although one woman has sustained serious injuries, Interfax news agency reported.

The taxi was evacuated by authorities
Moscow Traffic Authority

Two Mexican women are in a stable condition, the Mexican embassy in Moscow said on Twitter.

The embassy said the women had been lightly injured and were receiving consular assistance.

The others are in a satisfactory condition.

The driver has said he did not act on purpose, Moscow traffic authority wrote on social media.

Pictures from the scene showed the front bumper ripped off from the taxi.

Moscow traffic authority also shared several images online detailing emergency services gathered at the scene, and the taxi being evacuated.

Russia is currently hosting the World Cup and Moscow is one of 11 Russian cities where tournament games are being played.

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