CNN
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Two bridges collapsed in the western region of Russia, adjacent to Ukraine, killing at least seven people and injuring dozens, authorities said.
It was not clear whether the two incidents involving the train were linked to adjacent Briance and Kursk, or whether they caused separate collapses.
The Russian commission on investigation described both incidents as being caused by the explosion, and they were labelled as “terrorist” acts, state media reported.
At least seven people were killed in Briansk when the road bridge gave way to passenger trains late Saturday, and railway authorities have cited “illegal interference.”
Russian authorities say the bridge came down to Vygonicz district, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Ukrainian border, crushing the mobile train, causing injury to at least 66 people.
Briansk’s regional governor Alexander Bogomaz accused him of exploding the collapse of his area in the state media.
Bogomaz told Telegram that 44 people were hospitalized and three were in serious condition, including children. The train carried 388 passengers.
Among the people killed in the incident were train engineers, reported Ria Novosti, a Russian state media outlet.
According to the RIA, the train had moved from the town of Klimov to the capital Moscow and the capital of Moscow.
Images of the remains from the Moscow prosecutor’s office show fallen Earth, fallen Earth on what appears to be a passenger train, debris and concrete, showing carriages derailed as emergency services attended the scene.
The Moscow Railway said the collapse was caused by “illegal interference in transport operations.”
According to Tass, passengers were evacuated from the wreckage and taken to temporary accommodation at a nearby station.
Railway workers later discovered damage to another section of the railway tracks in the Briance area, Bogomaz said, but added that there were no casualties.
According to the regional representative governor, another incident up until Sunday saw the bridge collapse as a freight train passed by in Russia’s Kursk region (Ukraine, also adjacent to Ukraine) injured one of the drivers.
“Some of the trains collapsed into a highway under the bridge,” Governor Alexander Kinstein told Telegram. The incident caused a fire to the train and emergency services officials worked to put out the flames, he added.
Kiev has not commented on the collapse of the bridge, and there are no immediate signs of Ukraine being involved.
Putin received updates on two incidents all night from the Federal Security Services (FSB) and the Russian Ministry of Emergency, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday, according to state media.
State media also reported that Russian leaders discussed the incident in a telephone call with Bogomaz and head of the Russian railway, Oleg Belozerov.
In the third incident on Saturday night, Ukraine’s defense information revealed that a Russian military freight train exploded near Meritpol, the occupied city of Ukraine’s Zaporidian region.
“The explosion led to a train of fuel tanks and freight cars derailed on the railroad tracks,” the intelligence agency said.
The freight trains had moved under Russian occupation via “major logistics arteries” often used by Russian troops, authorities added.
Since Moscow began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kiev responded to Russian attacks and launched attacks using drones, artillery and troops on the Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod regions. Pro-Uklein agents and sympathizers within Russia are also sabotaging Russian targets.
In 2023, Ukrainian defense sources said the fire that ran through the train along a strategic railway tunnel in eastern Russia was attributed to Ukrainian Security Services (SBU).
This story has been updated with additional developments.
