MOSCOW, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Nine people died and seven others were injured in Russia's autonomous region of Tatarstan on Tuesday when a heavy truck collided with a minibus, the emergencies ministry said.

The incident took place some 130 km (80 miles) east of the Tatar capital of Kazan, a ministry spokesman said. Russia has one of Europe's highest mortality rates in road traffic accidents, with more than 30,000 people killed each year.

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