Moscow taxi driver mows down World Cup fans injuring eight

Moscow traffic authority has published a photograph which shows two ambulances at the scene. Photo / Supplied

This is the horrific moment a taxi driver rammed his vehicle through a busy crowd of World Cup football fans, just yards from Moscow's Red Square.

Eight people were injured in the collision but it appears many more were hit. Two Mexicans, two Russians and one Ukrainian were hospitalised, The Dailt Mail reports.

The two Mexicans injured in the crash were only lightly injured and are in a stable condition, according to the Mexican embassy in Russia. One woman is in a serious condition.

At least one person hit was seen wearing a Mexico kit, with the North American nation due to kick-off their World Cup campaign against Germany in Moscow's Luzhniki stadium tomorrow.

Moscow police said the motorist had a Kyrgyzstan driving licence and that he lost control of the vehicle, although the new footage of him mounting the pavement has raised questions as to whether the act was deliberate.

A man wearing a green and red Mexico top can be seen trying to bang on the window while another person wearing a black top can be seen trying to smash his way into the vehicle to grab the driver.

The driver manages to escape the clutches of both men and escapes on foot, but is quickly followed by an angry mob who try to wrestle him to the ground.

The bumper of the vehicle has been completely torn off from the collision and a sign had been taken to the ground. Photo / Supplied

Early reports suggested the driver may have been drunk although they have been dismissed by the Moscow traffic authority. Interfax sources claim that the driver fell asleep at the wheel and accidently pressed against the accelerator pedal.

One witness at the scene said about the taxi driver: ":He was pulled out of the vehicle, he ran off but bystanders apprehended him. He was shouting: 'It wasn't me'."

Asked if the driver appeared drunk, the witness said: "No, he wasn't drunk."

Witnesses said the driver allegedly tried to flee from the scene but was apprehended by police.

The driver was named as Analbek uulu, 28. He has been detained and is undergoing police interrogation.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a post on Twitter: "There was an unpleasant incident with a taxi. The driver lost control of the vehicle."

A criminal investigation into a suspected violation of the traffic code is now underway, Moscow's police confirmed.

Photographs from the scene show the bumper of the car completely detached from the rest of the vehicle, while a parking sign has also been ripped to the ground.

The accident took place on Ilinka Street, around 200 metres from Red Square and Moscow's famous GUM shopping centre.

Moscow is one of the 11 Russian cities where World Cup games are being played.