The driver of a taxi that ran into a crowd in central Moscow on Saturday tried to run away, but was caught and detained by police, a witness at the scene told Reuters. Moscow authorities said the taxi driver probably lost control of the vehicle, and that eight people had sought medical assistance. The car mounted the pavement and accelerated into a crowd, knocking over pedestrians and carrying some on the bonnet of the car for a short distance, a video of the incident posted on social media showed. Tweet Some of the people hit in the taxi incident were wearing the Mexican national team colors, the witness said. Russia is hosting the soccer World Cup.<doc-sep>Get the FREE Mirror Football newsletter by email with the day's key headlines and transfer news Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice This is the shocking moment a taxi ploughed into Mexican football fans enjoying the World Cup in central Moscow. Eight people are said to be injured as the car mounts the pavement and takes out a number of bystanders outside a shopping centre. A man wearing a Mexican football shirt is then seen trying desperately to get into the taxi - with the driver then running out of the vehicle and down the street. He was later caught by police. Sombreros were left scattered along the floor in a scene of devastation after the shocking incident. (Image: mirror.co.uk) A source told Interfax that Mexican nationals were among the injured and that the driver had a Kyrgyzstan driver licence and may have been under the influence. He was named as Analbek Uulu, 28, with a driving licence showing the suspect's picture. The same source later said he was not drunk, but had instead 'fallen asleep behind the wheel'. "According to preliminary information, seven people were injured," TASS cited a source as saying. That was later changed to eight, with one woman left in a serious but not critical condition. (Image: REUTERS) (Image: REUTERS) (Image: east2west news) Kyrgyzstan is mainly Muslim ex-Soviet republic but there is no indication that it was anything other than an accident. Local police said in a statement that the driver lost control of the car - this was then backed up the Mayor Russia would confirmed it was an accident. The driver was caught after initially escaping and taken to the local police department. (Image: TASS) (Image: Twitter/UnivisionSports) An investigation has been opened into the incident - but initial reports cite the driver as saying he did not mean to hit the people. The source said that the driver tried to escape the accident but was detained by pedestrians. Witnesses said some of the people injured were wearing Mexican team colours. The Mexican embassy then added their injured countrymen are in a stable condition. A second witness told Reuters: "The driver was pulled out of the vehicle, he ran off but bystanders apprehended him. He was shouting: 'It wasn't me'." (Image: gucodd/east2west news) Asked if the driver appeared drunk, the witness said: "No, he wasn't drunk." The Mexicans take on Germany tomorrow in their first march of the World Cup. They also have South Korea and Sweden in their group. Russian authorities have vowed to host a safe soccer World Cup, which is taking place in 11 cities until July 15. (Image: REUTERS) In central Moscow, authorities have installed heavy concrete blocks across the entrances to pedestrianised areas following a spate of incidents in European cities in which vehicles were used to mow down people. The U.S. State Department on Friday updated its travel advice on Russia, saying terrorist groups were plotting attacks. "Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities," the travel advice stated.<doc-sep>
Moscow police believe the driver 'lost control of the vehicle' with two Mexican World Cup fans among the injured Eight people have been taken to hospital, including two Mexico football fans, after being hit by a taxi that drove into a crowd of people in Moscow. Moscow police believe the driver ‘lost control of the vehicle’ when he mounted the pavement in the city centre, with Russian news agency TASS reporting eight injuries and no fatalities. Twitter - @gucodd 3 As many as five ambulances arrived on the scene to take the eight injured to hospital The driver, who fled the scene before being detained by police, was named as Anarbek Chyngyz, who holds a Kyrgyzstan driving licence. Witnesses claim Mr Chyngyz shouted “it wasn’t me” when running away from bystanders. A criminal investigation has been opened into the incident. The Mexican embassy confirmed that two Mexico fans were hurt in the incident which happened around 200 yards from the GUM shopping arcade in the centre of the city – but their injuries have been reported as “stable and out of danger.” An official from the Moscow transport authority claimed the driver, who first hit a road sign, was not acting intentionally. Twitter - @gucodd 3 Images from the crash show the damage caused to the taxi The car’s bumper was torn off in the collision and as many as five ambulances arrived on the scene to help those injured. Mexico take on Germany at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow at 4pm UK time tomorrow. Twitter - @gucodd 3 The taxi’s driver reportedly fled the scene before being detained by police