Fifteen people were killed in Russia when a passenger bus crashed off a bridge in the eastern Zabaykale region.

According to Sputnik news agency and Russian rescue agencies, the accident killed 15 people and injured at least 18 others.

Rescue authorities reported that the bus was carrying 43 people, and the Russian Health Ministry announced that the number of victims is likely to rise because of the presence of seriously injured.

According to the agency "Associated Press" news agency that the bus fell from the bridge on a frozen river.