MOSCOW, January 3 (RIA Novosti) – Nine people were killed and two others were injured in two separate road accidents in Russia, the regional emergencies centers and police reported on Thursday.

The first accident occurred on Thursday afternoon in the Saratov Region in southern Russia when a VAZ-2109 vehicle and a Honda car collided on the Saratov-Tambov highway near the village of Ershovka in the region’s Atkar district, killing five and injuring two people.

The circumstances and causes of the accident are being investigated.

The second road accident occurred also on Thursday afternoon in the Leningrad Region in northwest Russia when a passenger bus collided with a car.

“The road accident involving a passenger bus and a car occurred on the Vologda-Novaya Ladoga road, killing four people. The bus passengers were not hurt in the accident,” the local police said.

Police are investigating the circumstances of the road accident.

According to statistics, 30,000 people lose their lives in traffic accidents every year in Russia due to the poor state of highway networks and reckless driving.