At least 7 dead, 20+ injured after packed bus with children crashes in Russia (VIDEO)

At least seven people, most of them children, have died in a horrific crash involving a packed bus south-west of Moscow. Over 20 more have been injured.

“There were 48 people in the bus, including 33 children,” according to Emergencies Ministry. The vehicle overturned while en-route to the city of Kaluga (south-west of Moscow).

Seven people have died, the Interior Ministry confirmed, with “four children among them.” More than two dozen – the majority also children – were injured. Videos from the scene show a bus lying on its roof in a snowy ditch, with the front window shattered and doors open.

According to preliminary information, the driver lost control of the vehicle and skidded off the road. He has been detained pending investigation, but a later blood test revealed no signs of alcohol abuse.

The trip, which aimed to take the children to a local dance competition in Kaluga, did not require a police escort, law enforcement said. But the journey had not been registered with the traffic police, in violation of existing procedures, officials elaborated.