Charges have been brought against the driver of the bus which crashed in Russia’s Tula Oblast (province) en route from Moscow to Yerevan which), claiming the lives of nine people, TASS reports, citing the press-service of the regional department of Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.

“The investigators of Tula Oblast Ministry of Internal Affairs charged the bus driver under the article “Exploitation of transportation means, causing death of two and more persons. Now he has the status of a defendant,” the spokesman said. 

Following the traffic accident, a criminal case was launched into the incident. The sanctions provided by the article stipulate punishment in the form of imprisonment for up to seven years, TASS reports.

Two probable reasons of the accident were considered: either the bus driver might have fallen asleep behind the steering wheel or there was a technical malfunction in the vehicle.

According to Alexander Savenkov, Deputy Head of Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, the accident was due to the driver’s falling asleep behind the steering wheel.

The investigation is underway now. The vehicle is subjected to comprehensive technical expert examination.

Nine people were killed and several dozen others were injured as a passenger bus, which was traveling from Moscow to Yerevan, crashed on Tuesday at around 2:10am local time, in Tula Oblast in Russia.

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