Kostanay, 26 October. The driver of a Volkswagen Passat who failed to stop for police ran a red light at the junction of Nazarbayev Avenue and Altynsarin Street in Kostanay and collided with a city bus; he was killed and his passenger was taken to hospital, the Kostanay regional police department said.
The crash happened on 25 October at about 21:10. "The driver of the car, in breach of traffic rules, ignored police demands to stop and kept driving. At the junction of Nazarbayev Avenue and Altynsarin Street he ran a red light and collided with a bus," the department said. Police did not say why the patrol had ordered the car to stop.
The bus, on route No. 10, was carrying 55 people; two received medical help at the scene. According to the Kostanay regional ambulance station, five people were hospitalised after the crash; how these figures relate to the police figures was not explained. Police released dashcam footage from the patrol car showing officers pursuing the car and have opened a pre-trial investigation.
What it means: A chase ended at a busy junction with a collision with a full bus. The circumstances, including why the car was ordered to stop, its speed and the patrol's actions, are for investigators to establish.
Who benefits: Nobody. The incident concerns public transport passengers and raises the question of how safe police chases are in a city.
Background: The crash happened on the evening of Sunday, 25 October, Republic Day, at one of Kostanay's central junctions.
