Bus Drives Off Bridge Into River in Terrifying Russian Video

As many as seven people have reportedly died in Russia's St. Petersburg after a passenger bus crashed through the guardrails on a bridge and drove into a river.

CCTV footage of the accident circulating on Russian Telegram channels on Friday showed the vehicle break out of its lane, before looping round and crashing into the canal.

The Context

The passenger bus, which was believed to be carrying about 20 people, fell into the Moika River on St. Petersburg's Bolshaya Morskaya Street at about 1 p.m. Moscow time. The city transport committee said the driver lost control of the vehicle.

Russian state news agency Interfax said that the driver has been detained by police.

What We Know

Three people drowned on the spot, according to Mash, a Russian news channel with links to the country's security apparatus, adding that four more victims were pronounced clinically dead.

Two others are in serious condition, Russia's state-run news agency Tass reported.

The St. Petersburg Transport Committee said on its VKontakte page that the driver "lost control" of the bus prior to the incident.

"The bus spun, he broke through the fence and fell into the water. Emergency services personnel and an ambulance are working at the scene," the committee said. "All victims will be provided with the necessary assistance."

Search and rescue operations have been completed, according to Tass. Divers are currently attempting to retrieve the bus from the river.

An eyewitness named Olga told St. Petersburg outlet Fontanka that passersbys jumped into the river in an attempt to save some lives.

"They abandoned their cars, jumped out, everyone rushed into the water, no matter what," she said.

Views

Tim White, journalist and documentary maker, shared the footage on X, writing: "A freak 'accident' in St Petersburg, where a bus has plough through railings, into cars and over a bridge...Not directly related to the war, but one wonders about lack of maintenance/parts etc."

White was referring to sanctions imposed on Russia by Western nations in response to President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which have contributed to a nationwide shortage of items that were typically readily available before the war, such as tires.

What's Next?

A criminal case has been opened under an article on the violation of traffic rules, resulting in the death of two or more people through negligence, local media reported.

Tass said the Moskovsky District Court of St. Petersburg has fined Taxi LLC, which owns the passenger bus that fell into the St. Petersburg. The firm has been ordered to pay 400,000 rubles (about $4,300).

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