MOSCOW, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Ten people were killed in Russia's Tuva region in southern Siberia when an off-road vehicle fell into a river, Russian media reported Friday.
The vehicle overturned while trying to cross the Shui River in the Bai-Taiginsky district, and ten bodies have been found at the scene, Tass news agency quoted a statement of the regional police as saying.
According to Russia's Investigative Committee, a total of 12 people were on board of the vehicle when the accident took place as result of a strong current.
A criminal investigation has been launched into a possible violation of traffic safety rules, according to the committee.
Investigators and experts have been sent to the site of the accident to identify its causes and circumstances, as well as to provide assistance to law enforcement agencies.
