At least 16 oil workers die as bus plunges from pier into Black Sea

 At least 16 people drowned today after being trapped in a bus which plunged off a pier in southern Russia.

Some 24 have been rescued or swam ashore on the Black Sea, but there were fears that the vehicle was overloaded with oil construction workers and that the toll may rise.

There were unconfirmed claims that between 38 and 60 people were in the bus when it sank at a depth of around 35 ft.



A survivor has claimed that the bus was out of control before plunging into the ocean.

'When we drove down to the pier, something cracked,' he said. 'There was one crack and the bus suddenly accelerated.

'For some reason, it turned towards a pier that was under construction. The driver kept silent. When we were careering along the pier, we began to smash windows and doors to get out.'He told Daily Mail Australia .

Some people managed to escape before the runaway bus went off the edge of the pier, say eyewitnesses.

Some accounts say the breaks malfunctioned, and the driver sought and failed to use the gears to halt the bus.
'Sixteen people died, 24 were rescued, eight of them were hospitalised,' said an emergencies' spokesperson.