Two separate bridge collapses in Russian regions bordering Ukraine have left at least seven people dead and dozens injured.
The first incident occurred late Saturday in Bryansk, where a road bridge collapsed onto a moving passenger train, derailing several carriages.
Governor Alexander Bogomaz confirmed seven fatalities and said 47 people, including a child, were hospitalized.
Moscow Railway claimed the collapse was due to ‘illegal interference’. Dramatic images from the scene showed twisted train cars and passengers helping each other escape in the dark.
Emergency services rushed to the area with additional equipment and lighting to aid rescue efforts.
The passenger train, traveling from Klimovo to Moscow, was in the Vygonichsky district when the bridge gave way.
Evacuated passengers were escorted to a nearby station to continue their journey on a substitute train.
Hours later, a second bridge collapse occurred in Zheleznogorsk district, derailing a locomotive that caught fire. The train driver sustained leg injuries.
Acting Governor Alexander Khinshtein said emergency crews are on site and the cause of the collapse is under investigation.
It remains unclear whether the two incidents are connected. Ukraine has not commented. Moscow’s transport prosecutor’s office has launched a formal investigation into the events.
