Ushi bends crash: eight killed as a truck collides with three cars in Armenia
- Published
- Place
- Ushi, Aragatsotn, Armenia
- Event date
- Past event —
Summary
Eight people were killed instantly at around 9:10 pm on Tuesday 3 November in a four-vehicle collision on the Ushi bends of the Yerevan–Vanadzor road, in Aragatsotn province. A truck with a trailer, travelling from Aparan towards Yerevan, hit an electricity pole and then three cars, a Jeep Compass, an Opel Zafira and a Chevrolet Volt, before ending up in a field. Three injured people were taken to the Armenia Medical Centre in Yerevan. According to the Health Ministry, one is in an extremely serious condition, a second was undergoing surgery in the evening and the third is in a moderate condition. The dead include a young couple who were travelling in the Opel. Criminal proceedings have been opened, and the drivers and victims were still being identified overnight.
Analysis
The Ushi bends, between Ashtarak and Aparan, lie on the road linking Yerevan to northern Armenia and Georgia, which carries heavy truck traffic. The stretch has seen deadly crashes before: in August 2022, a collision between a car and a truck killed three people there. Tuesday’s toll is on a different scale, and investigators will have to establish whether the truck lost control, and why.
Possible consequences
While rescuers were at work, traffic on the Yerevan–Vanadzor road was stopped at times or reduced to one lane. Investigators from the Aragatsotn branch of the Investigative Committee are to determine the exact causes of the collision.
