Bus plunges into Black Sea in Russia, killing 14 people

A view shows a damaged bus, which plunged into the Black Sea while carrying a group of workers, on a pier near the settlement of Volna in the Krasnodar region, Russia August 25, 2017. Russian Emergencies Ministry/Handout via REUTERS

MOSCOW (Reuters) - At least 14 people were killed in southern Russia when a bus plunged into the Black Sea on Friday, Russian investigators said.

Eight more people were injured, five of whom were in a serious condition, Interfax news agency reported, citing the emergency ministry which carried out rescue works.

There were around 40 people on the bus, which fell from a several-metre-high pier, a part of oil shipment infrastructure on the Black Sea coast.

Rescuers work near a pier after a bus carrying a group of workers plunged into the Black Sea outside the settlement of Volna in the Krasnodar region, Russia August 25, 2017. Russian Emergencies Ministry/Handout via REUTERS

The crash on Friday morning was likely caused by a failure in the vehicle's braking system, said Oteko Portservice company, which runs the shipment facility.

A picture from the scene, published by the emergency ministry on its website, showed a group of divers on two boats searching waters underneath the pier.

Government investigators were looking into whether violation of security rules and traffic regulations.

(Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov; Writing by Maria Tsvetkova; Editing by Andrey Ostroukh/Jeremy Gaunt)