MOSCOW (REUTERS) - A Kyrgyz taxi driver who drove his car into pedestrians near the Kremlin told a Moscow court on Monday (June 18) he had mistaken the accelerator for the brake pedal because he had not slept for two days before the accident.

"I don't remember what happened. It seems my brain was so tired from not getting enough sleep and I mixed up accelerator and brake pedals. I fully admit my guilt," 28-year-old Chingiz Anarbek, the driver, testified in Kyrgyz, which was translated into Russian.

"I apologise for everything I've done. I had not slept for two days. I had to earn money for my family."

After Anarbek's testimony, the court remanded him in custody for two months pending trial.

Russian officials said up to seven people were hurt in Saturday's (June 16) incident, including two Mexicans who came to Moscow for the soccer World Cup that Russia is hosting.

A video of the incident posted on social media showed the yellow taxi pull sharply out of a line of stationary traffic, accelerate and mount the narrow pavement, which was packed with pedestrians.

The driver jumped out of the car and ran away, pursued by bystanders. Anarbek told the court he had fled because he was afraid that the crowd could kill him.