VORONEZH, March 9 (RIA Novosti) – Five people were killed and 13 injured when a car hit a group of people in the central Russian city of Voronezh in the early hours of Sunday, police and doctors said.
A spokesman for the regional police department said the driver of a Volvo car failed to negotiate a turn and sent his vehicle to the opposite side of the road, where a group of about 20 people was standing outside a café.
The accident took place at about 4:00 a.m. Moscow time [00:00 GMT], when the café was about to close, and visitors were leaving.
Three people were killed immediately and two died in hospital.
“Nine people are being treated, three of them are in critical condition and six suffered moderately severe injuries. Four were discharged after receiving first aid,” a city hospital spokesman said.
Police said the driver abandoned his vehicle and tried to flee, but was detained. He tested positive for alcohol.
He faces up to nine years in prison if found guilty.
