Road accident in central Russia leaves eight people dead

Eight people were killed in the central Russian city of Penza when a minibus and a truck collided, a ninth person died later in the hospital.

Maj. Sergei Logov, of the regional traffic police, said in televised comments that the collision occurred outside Penza, about 560 kilometers (350 miles) southeast of Moscow, around 5 a.m. (0100 GMT) when the minibus driver apparently swerved into the opposite lane and hit an oncoming truck carrying logs.

Six passengers and the driver died, along with a passenger from the truck, Logov said. Three others were hospitalized, the AP reports.

Minibuses are widely used throughout Russia as a supplement to public transport, but they are often overpacked with passengers and lack safety belts.