Schoolbus crash kills 3 children in Russia

At least three children died when a school bus crashed in southern Russia Sunday, an emergency ministry spokeswoman said.

The school bus full of children came off the road near the village of Inozemtsevo in Stavropol region, said a spokeswoman for the North Caucasus office of the emergencies ministry.

"Three people died, possibly four," she told AFP, adding that the bus was on a road that bypasses the village and has some sharp turns.

A traffic police representative told RIA Novosti agency that accident happened after the bus overtook a truck. The truck did not slow down in time and ran into the back of the bus, sending it off the road and into a deep ditch.

About 30,000 people die in Russian road accidents every year, one of the highest rates in the world. Alcohol and disregard of traffic rules are seen as the main culprits.

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