MOSCOW, September 14 (RIA Novosti) - A drunk police officer was involved in a car crash that left three dead in the Tyumen Region, Russia's Urals, a police spokesman said on Monday.

The accident occurred when the Interior Ministry officer, who was off duty at the time, smashed into a stationary vehicle while drunk along a stretch of highway in the Vikolovsky District.

"While driving a Mazda vehicle in an intoxicated state, he was unable to control the car and crashed into a stationary vehicle," the spokesperson said.

Three passengers in the Mazda vehicle died at the scene and the officer, who could face up to 9 years in prison if convicted, was injured.

Over 30,000 people lose their lives in traffic accidents in Russia every year. President Medvedev recently blamed the carnage on the poor state of the country's roads, as well as a "lack of discipline, and the criminal negligence of drivers."