8 killed in minibus crash in central Russia Russian police say eight people died in a minibus crash in the country's central Pskov region

MOSCOW -- A minibus crash in central Russia killed eight people in the early hours on Thursday, local police said.

A minibus with nine people on board was attempting to overtake another vehicle on a highway in the Pskov region about 600 kilometers (370 miles) northwest of Moscow and crashed into an oncoming truck.

Seven passengers and the driver of the minibus died, and another passenger and the driver of the truck sustained injuries.

The minibus was registered in Ukraine and all victims of the crash were Ukrainian nationals, police said.

Bus crashes have become increasingly common in Russia in recent years, many of them resulting in multiple deaths. In 2019, the country's police registered more than 5,500 bus incidents.