World Cup 2018: One person killed in Sochi after car collides with pedestrians

Local man dies when vehicle mounts pavement

A 63-year old local man has been killed and three other people injured after a car mounted a pavement and hit pedestrians in the World Cup host city of Sochi, police have said.

An investigation has been opened into the incident and initial signs suggested the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel, the authorities said.

The World Cup is being hosted in 11 Russian cities, including Sochi. The Black Sea resort city has hosted five matches and will host the quarter-final between Russia and Croatia on Saturday.

Police said the incident took place on a road about 45 kilometres (30 miles) from Sochi’s stadium. The driver drove across a lane of incoming traffic before going onto the pavement, colliding with pedestrians.

Russian authorities have pledged to host a safe World Cup. In June a taxi driver drove into a crowd of pedestrians near Red Square, in Moscow, injuring eight people.

Russia’s state-run news agency Interfax said he was believed to have been driving while drunk, but later said he had fallen asleep at the wheel.