A Moldovan minibus was involved in a traffic accident in the Ukrainian region Donetsk. There were 21 Moldovans abroad. Five persons were killed, while 16 were rushed to the hospital with different injuries. The information was confirmed for IPN by the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Emergencies informed the Civil Protection and Emergencies Service of Moldova about the accident. According to the latest information, the accident happened at about 02:30 last night, near Lebedinskoe settlement, on the Odessa – Rostov-on-Don road. The 16 persons hurt were admitted to the hospital in Mariupol.

The preliminary inquiries show the vehicle went out of control, skipped into a ditch and then crashed into a tree. It overturned as a result of the impact. The minibus was running on the Soroca-Sochi road.

The Ministry of Transport and Road Infrastructure set up a working group for investigating the circumstances of the accident. The National Agency of Road Transport (ANTA) will keep permanently in touch with the route operator so as to provide the necessary assistance for conveying the passengers to Moldova, including the dead ones.

The ANTA published the contact phones of the route operator on which relatives of the passengers can find out more information – 068522155 and 078522155. The full list of passengers was published on the Agency’s website www.anta.gov.md.