The Transbaikalian Territory Office of the Investigative Committee has opened an investigation in negligence of officials under Part 3 of Article 293 of the RF Criminal Code that led to a traffic accident involving fatalities.

About midnight on 12 June 2017, a KIA bus with 50 passengers aboard capsized on kilometer marker 702 of Irkutsk – Chita highway in Petrovsk-Zabaikalsky District, Transbaikalian Territory killing 14 people and injuring over 20 more.

While looking into the circumstances of the accident, investigators have found signs of negligence committed by officials of the Federal Road Agency’s South Baikal Administration of Federal Highways. According to the investigators, the officials were slack in ensuring safety of traffic during road repairs. There was no railing or warning signs at the sharp turn. It had no proper road marking either. Despite such serious breaches, the officials did nothing to restrict traffic on that section of the road which led to the fatal road accident.

The investigators have questioned officials of South Baikal Administration of Federal Highways, workers of contracting companies involved in the repairs, confiscated technical documentation regarding the repairs and carried out other investigative operations to find out all the circumstances surrounding the crime.