Driver of taxi that rammed into 8 pedestrians in Moscow tells police incident was not intentional

Reporting from moscow —  Eight people, including two visitors from Mexico, were injured Saturday when a taxi crashed into pedestrians on a sidewalk near Red Square in Moscow.

Russian police said the driver in the crash has been detained. Preliminary information indicated the driver lost control of the vehicle.

Video circulating on Russian social media and some news websites showed the taxi approaching a stopped line of cars, then veering onto the sidewalk and striking pedestrians. It then hit a traffic sign and bystanders tried to wrestle the driver out of the taxi, but he broke their grip and ran away. It was not clear how he was finally detained.

The source of the video wasn’t specified, but it appeared to be a handheld recording of footage from a video monitor.

Russia is hosting the World Cup and the capital’s streets have been crowded with foreign visitors. The accident took place on Ilinka Street, about 650 feet from Red Square and Moscow’s famous GUM shopping arcade, an area popular with tourists.

The city health department said seven of the injured were in satisfactory condition and one was in more serious condition. Details of their injuries were not available.

The agency that monitors Moscow’s traffic safety said the driver is a citizen of the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan. The driver told police that the crash was not intentional.

Mexico’s embassy in Moscow said two of its citizens were among the injured. Mexico is to play against Germany on Sunday in Moscow, one of 11 host cities for the tournament.

Authorities originally reported that eight people were injured, then revised the number to seven, before raising the toll back to eight.

UPDATES:

4:30 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details about the incident.

Noon: This article was updated with additional information about the victims and a revised injury count.

10:50 a.m.: This article was updated with information about the driver and a revised injury count.

This article was originally published at 10:15 a.m.