Rockfall caused tragic accident in Chechnya

The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry has announced the official cause of the tragic accident in the Vedensky District of Chechnya, in which a minibus fell off a cliff, killing eleven residents of Dagestan. According to the ministry, these people were victims of an accident after the minibus was hit by a rockfall.

"The fall of the minibus off a 200m cliff was the result of a rockfall on the 15th kilometer of the road from the village of Kharachoy,"  the ministry said.

The minibus was carrying 17 people from a funeral in Khasavyurt to the mountain village of Andi on a mountainous road through the territory of Chechnya.

All the victims were women. Information about the victims is being determined, but it was reported that eight passengers have been hospitalized, and 11 people are dead. Six people are in hospitals in Chechnya, two were taken to Dagestan, RIA Novosti reports.

The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, ordered to attract the best doctors and expressed his condolences to the families and friends of the victims.

The head of Ingushetia, Yunus-bek Yevkurov, has also expressed his condolences over the car accident in the Vedensky District of Chechnya that killed eleven people. "I regret to receive the news of this terrible car accident in the Vedensky District of Chechnya. All Ingush people received this news with deep pain. On behalf of myself and the people of the residents of the republic I want to express condolences to the head of the Republic of Dagestan, Ramazan Abdulatipov, relatives and friends of the victims. I wish the injured a speedy recovery," Yevkurov said.

The Dagestani authorities announced that the families of the victims will receive financial assistance amounting to 100 thousand rubles, injured people will receive 50 thousand rubles, the necessary funds have already been allocated.

Tomorrow, the head of Dagestan Ramazan Abdulatipov declared mourning in the country over the deaths of the victims of the accident.

Vestnik Kavkaza expresses condolences to the relatives and friends of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured.