CNN
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At least seven people were killed when a road bridge collapsed onto a passenger train in western Russia late Saturday, with railway authorities blaming “illegal interference.”
The bridge came down in Russia’s Bryansk region, close to the Ukrainian border, crushing the moving train and injuring at least 30 people, Russian authorities reported.
The train was traveling from the town of Klimov to the capital Moscow when it was hit by the debris from the bridge and derailed, according to Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti.
In a separate incident, a bridge also collapsed in Russia’s Kursk region as a freight train was passing over it, injuring one of the drivers, according to the acting governor of the Russian region that also borders Ukraine, Reuters reported.
It was unclear early on Sunday whether the two incidents were connected.
Images from the wreckage in Bryansk from the Moscow interregional transport prosecutor’s office show fallen earth, debris and concrete on top of what appears to be the passenger train, and derailed carriages as emergency services attend the scene.
Moscow Railway cited the cause of the collapse as “illegal interference in transport operations,” without providing further details.
An investigation has been launched, and a team is inspecting the site, state news agency TASS reported.
The train’s engineer was among those killed in the incident, RIA Novosti reported. An infant remains in serious condition, according to the Russian emergencies ministry.
Passengers were evacuated from the wreckage and were taken to a temporary accommodation center at a nearby station, according to TASS.
Bryansk’s regional governor Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram that emergency services and government officials were working at the scene.
“Everything necessary is being done to provide assistance to the victims,” he said, according to TASS.
Since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Kyiv has responded to Russian aggression by launching attacks using drones, artillery and troops into the Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod regions.
