Sixteen people were killed in a road traffic accident in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) on Wednesday, Denis Pushilin, the acting head of the region, has said. There were four survivors, he added.
Media reports had claimed that a truck carrying troops hit a civilian vehicle in the newly added Russian region.
The incident occurred on a road connecting the neighboring cities of Torez and Shakhtyorsk, located some 50km east of the provincial capital Donetsk, Pushilin wrote on his Telegram channel.
Earlier in the day, Russian media reported that a truck moving troops had collided with a minivan. At least three of the survivors are being treated in an intensive care unit, a local source told TASS amid conflicting reports about the death toll.
Pushilin confirmed that military service members were among those killed, but didn’t offer any further details.
Footage published by a Donetsk-based Telegram channel covering emergencies purportedly showed the scene of the incident. In the video, a truck can be seen with its front section seriously damaged after an apparent impact with a white civilian vehicle.
Online news outlet Mash said the road was closed to traffic following the collision.