Russian authorities have opened a criminal investigation after a fatal collision between an international passenger bus and a heavy truck in Stavropol Krai left six people dead and 28 others hospitalized.
The crash occurred overnight into Sunday, August 30, along the third kilometer of the Kavkaz federal highway in southern Russia. A Setra coach traveling from Georgia to Moscow struck the rear of a KamAZ truck before swerving off the roadway and into a ditch.
State news agency TASS reported that six people were killed in the crash, citing information from law enforcement agencies. A further 28 passengers were hospitalized for emergency treatment, including 11 children and teenagers, with four of the injured remaining in intensive care units.
Investigative Committee opens criminal case
Following the collision, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation launched a criminal case into the incident. A spokesperson for the committee stated that regional officers in Stavropol Krai are investigating the crash under Part 3 of Article 238 of the Russian Criminal Code, which covers the provision of services that fail safety requirements and result in two or more deaths through negligence.
Alexander Bastrykin, the chairman of the Investigative Committee, instructed Alexander Perepelitsyn, the head of the regional investigative management department in Stavropol Krai, to deliver an official report detailing the progress of the inquiry and all established circumstances surrounding the crash.
Driver speed and distance under scrutiny
Preliminary findings indicate that the driver of the Setra bus failed to maintain a safe speed and proper distance from the KamAZ truck traveling ahead, leading directly to the collision and causing the bus to leave the road.
Stavropol Krai is a federal region situated in Russia's North Caucasus area, with the Kavkaz highway serving as a primary transportation artery linking southern border routes to Moscow. The Investigative Committee operates as Russia's principal law enforcement authority responsible for overseeing investigations into major transport disasters and criminal negligence.
