Death toll of bus crash in Russia's St. Petersburg rises to 7

Moscow, May 11 The number of fatalities as a result of a passenger bus falling into a river in St. Petersburg has increased to seven, the Russian Investigative Committee press office said.

The incident occurred in downtown St. Petersburg around 1 p.m. local time on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The driver lost control of the vehicle while making a turn before crashing from a bridge and sinking in seconds. There were around 20 people inside the bus at the time of the accident.

The Russian Emergencies Ministry earlier on Friday reported that three people died, four people were in critical condition, while two others were in serious condition.

The driver, 44, has been detained and interrogated.

According to local media reports, he blamed the accident on failing brakes.

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