A passenger bus collided with a train in a serious traffic accident taking place in Vladimir region east of Moscow on Friday, killing at least 19 people, the Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement.

"At the railway crossing near the Pokrovka station in the Petushinsky district of the Vladimir region, a passenger bus collided with a train travelling between the cities of St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod," it said.

According to the Moscow railway press office, the bus was passing a railway crossing near the Pokrov station at 3:39 a.m. (0039 GMT) in the red light while its engine stalled and collided with the train. Passengers with various injuries, including minors, have been hospitalized.

The Moscow Interregional Investigation Department on Transport of the Russian Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal investigation into the accident for possible violation of road safety rules.

Currently, investigators are inspecting the scene of the collision, said the committee. Forensic medical examinations and other investigative actions are underway to establish all the circumstances of the accident.

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