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Eight people were injured after the vehicle mounted a packed pavement and rammed into a group of pedestrians near Red Square. One of those hit is reportedly in a serious condition. Shocking CCTV footage of the crash shows the vehicle pull sharply out of stationary traffic before speeding up and mounting the curb. The video shows some pedestrians were knocked down after it ploughed into the crowd, while others were carried along on the bonnet. The driver, dressed in black trousers and a black t-shirt, attempted to flee but was apprehended by bystanders.

Initial reports suggested the driver may have been drunk, but Russian news agency Interfax has since quoted an unnamed source as saying the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel and then accidentally pressed the accelerator. The same source said tests found no alcohol in the driver's blood. Those injured include two Mexicans, two Russians and a Ukrainian citizen. Citing a medical source, Interfax said none of those hurt are believed to be critically injured. Moscow Police said the driver lost control of the vehicle rather than deliberately steering his car into pedestrians. The force said a criminal investigation had been launched into a suspected traffic violation.

A taxi crashed into a crowd of people in Moscow

The taxi came to a stop after hitting a traffic sign before the driver attempted to flee

After the driver was apprehended, Moscow's traffic management authority said the man insisted he had not hit the crowd on purpose. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a post on Twitter: "There was an unpleasant incident with a taxi. The driver lost control of the vehicle." Officials said the driver had a licence from the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan, a mainly Muslim ex-Soviet republic. One witness said the driver was pulled from his taxi by others who had seen the crash. The witness said the man shouted “it wasn’t me” as he ran before quickly being tackled by bystanders.

Eight people required treatment after the taxi ran into a crowd of people

The taxi was stopped from driving down more of the pavement after it hit a traffic sign

Another witness, Viktoria Geraimovich, said she called the emergency services on her mobile phone. Describing the actions of the driver, she said: "He ran into a group of Mexicans. There were shouts, moans. He was only stopped because he hit a traffic sign. "Someone gave him a punch in the face. He stayed in the car, people came up to him, said what are you doing, punched him in the face, he opened the door and tried to run away." Russian authorities have pledged to host a safe World Cup.

The taxi involved in the crash was transported away