SAMARA, October 13 (Itar-Tass) - The accident in the Samara region, where 13 people died, was caused by a blown out tyre, press service of the Interior Ministry said on Sunday.

The police say on October 12 at 23:50 Moscow time, driver of a Toyota minibus with 14 passengers could not control the vehicle as a tyre blew out and the vehicle rammed a Mercedes on the opposite lane.

“After the collision, the minibus, which took eleven citizens of Uzbekistan, two Tajik citizens and one citizen of Azerbaijan, caught fire. The vehicle’s 13 passengers died of injuries and burns, the driver and a passenger were taken to hospital,” the press service said.

The investigation is underway.