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A police video shows a man identified as the Kyrgyz taxi driver saying he fell asleep at the wheel and accidentally accelerated, causing the crash. Photograph: Reuters
A police video shows a man identified as the Kyrgyz taxi driver saying he fell asleep at the wheel and accidentally accelerated, causing the crash. Photograph: Reuters

Moscow crash taxi driver says he fell asleep at the wheel

This article is more than 6 years old

Taxi driver involved in crash that hurt Mexico fans in city for World Cup told police he had not slept in 20 hours

Moscow police are investigating a taxi crash that injured eight people, including two Mexican World Cup fans, when the driver ploughed into pedestrians near Red Square on Saturday.

A video circulating on Russian social media and news websites showed the vehicle veering onto the pavement and hitting pedestrians. The source of the video was unclear.

Police on Sunday released a video of a man identified as the Kyrgyz taxi driver being questioned, in which he says he briefly fell asleep at the wheel and accidentally accelerated, causing the crash. It was unclear whether the man was speaking under duress.

The man said he had not slept in 20 hours, and ran away after the accident because he was afraid angry bystanders would kill him. He was later detained.

Moscow police would not comment on whether the crash would affect security measures for the World Cup, which is being held in 11 Russian cities over the next month. The possible use of vehicles as weapons has been a concern.

The Mexican embassy said the two injured female fans were not taken to hospital.

Mexico play Germany in Moscow on Sunday.

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