16 dead in horror crash between bus and lorry

Sixteen people have been killed in a horror crash between a bus and a lorry laden with bricks in the Omsk region. The accident took place at 5.40pm on Wednesday near the village of Rostovka amid reports that one of the drivers may have fallen asleep at the wheel.

Officials say that there were 23 passengers on the bus, which was carrying workers of a Rostovka poultry farm and three people in the Kamaz truck.

The drivers of both vehicle are among the 16 fatalities with every other passenger injured. In the aftermath of the collision many of them were trapped within the wreckage and a team of rescuers were sent to the scene, along with 10 ambulances.

Preliminary investigations by the regional traffic police suggest the bus driver either fell asleep or felt unwell and veered into the path of the oncoming truck on the 20th kilometre of the motorway.

A day of mourning will be held across the Omsk region on Thursday as a mark of respect.

Meanwhile, seven people died following another accident involving two vehicles in Omsk. At about 3am on Wednesday on the Omsk to Tyumen motorway a Lada Granta and Toyota Mark II had a head-on collision.

Five people died at the scene and a further two in hospital with one survivor, a 37-year-old from Novosibirsk, currently being treated for injuries.

Video footage taken by police shows debris scattered across the road and both vehicles mangled.