YEREVAN. – The Government of Armenia will allocate more than 1 million drams (approx. US$2,084) to the families of the nine passengers who died in the Armenian bus crash in Russia.

The Minister of Transport and Communication, Gagik Beglaryan, on Monday told the abovementioned to reporters in the National Assembly.

“And the injured [will get] up to 1 million drams,” Beglaryan added.

The minister informed that the Armenian government will also cover the transportation and funeral costs.

Nine people were killed and several dozen others were injured as a passenger bus, which was traveling from Moscow to Yerevan, crashed on November 3, in Tula Oblast (province) in Russia.

Russia has opened a criminal case into this bus crash, and on charges of “breaking the road traffic and vehicle operation rules.” A similar case has been filed in Armenia, too.

According to preliminary data, the bus driver, Garnik Harutyunyan, had fallen asleep at the steering wheel.

Harutyunyan has been taken into custody for two months.