The official car used to chauffeur Vladimir Putin has been caught up in a horror smash - leaving one dead.

It has been reported that the victim is one of the Russian president's favourite driver, who has worked for him during official duties for 40 years.

The driver has not been named by the media.

Russian news sites reported the president's car - a black BMW - collided with a Mercedes in the country's capital city, Moscow.

The video shows the vehicles travelling along a multi-lane carriageway, smashing into each other in the head-on crash.