Narrow escape for Chechen President

Moscow, Nov 27 (UNI) Chechen President Alu Alkhanov had a narrow escape last night when a drunk driver crashed his car into the presidential motorcade.

A police officer Ivan Dikonenko was killed and four bodyguards were injured in the accident involving three vehicles from the presidential motorcade, but Mr Alkhanov was, however, not injured, presidential spokesman Said-Magomed Itsarayev told Russian news agency.

"A Volga sedan crashed into the Chechen President's motorcade yesterday in the wee hours on the Caucasus federal highway in the Republic of Ingushetia," he said, adding that president was heading to Grozny, the Chechen capital, for a meeting with the delegation of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

He added Dikonenko was assigned to Mr Alkhanov's protection service for the PACE mission from the Interior Ministry of Russia's North Caucasus Republic of Adygea.

He said the four presidential bodyguards, injured in the accident were hospitalised, and the condition of one of them was serious.

An investigation into the accident was under way, the police said.

UNI XC DKA KN1815