A tractor in the Siberian region of Tomsk slammed into a bus stop on a rural road, killing one person instantly and sending two others to the hospital, where they later died, police said in a statement Wednesday.
The accident occurred in a rural area near a neighborhood of summer residences as the tractor was leaving the city with a load of grain. An apparent mechanical failure caused the tractor to gain speed down an incline, and the driver, 22-year-old Alexander Kubaryov, lost control of the vehicle. It crossed the center line and careened into a bus stop.
"At first, the driver of the tractor was trying to go to the right, but apparently the wheel became unbalanced and he went off to the side," regional police chief Vladimir Zharkov said, Vesti.ru reported. 'The investigation will determine exactly what happened."
Yevgeniya Yegorova, 86, died at the scene. One man and three women were sent to the hospital with injuries sustained in the accident, and two women, aged 72 and 70, later died from their injuries.
Residents told Vesti.ru that this stretch of road is one of the most dangerous in the area and said motorists frequently accelerate to unsafe speeds on the downward slope and there is virtually no room for pedestrians.
A criminal case has been opened on charges of violating traffic safety rules resulting in the death of more than two people, a charge punishable by up to seven years in prison and revocation of driving privileges for a period of up to three years.
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