The governor of Russia’s Bryansk Region, Alexander Bogomaz, has said that an overpass bridge was deliberately “blown up” while a train was passing under it.
“There was an explosion of a bridge on the track while a train with 388 passengers was traveling under it,” Bogomaz said, reporting the incident which took place late on Saturday as the train was heading toward the capital city, Moscow.
The bridge overpass collapse derailed the passenger train.
According to officials, the incident has the hallmarks of a deliberate act of sabotage. Russian authorities have launched an investigation in this regard.
According to Bogomaz, all of the injured passengers were swiftly hospitalized following the incident. In earlier reports, the governor had put the death toll at 7, with 35 injured.
“As of this hour, the number of victims is 69 people, including three children. Three of the victims are in serious condition, including one child, 44 people have been hospitalized, and 22 people are undergoing outpatient care,” the governor said on Telegram.
A source in Russia’s law enforcement agencies told RT that according to preliminary data, a part of the bridge fell on the tracks in front of the train, with the driver having no time to avoid the crash.
The driver and his assistant likely died immediately from the impact of the collision, the source told RT.
A Russian Federation Council member pinned the blame for the incident on Ukraine.
Andrey Klishas said Kiev was to blame for the train’s derailment, writing on Telegram. He said such acts of terrorism proved that “Ukraine is being controlled by a terrorist group.”
“Ukraine has long lost the attributes of a state, turning into a terrorist enclave without borders, without legitimate authorities and laws,” he said.
The senator urged the creation of a vast buffer zone inside Ukrainian territory to make sure that “terrorists” are unable to reach Russia in the future.
US President Donald Trump, who boasted he would end the Ukraine war against Russia in 24 hours, has criticized Both Moscow and Kiev for the failure to reach a peace deal.
Moscow has proposed June 2 as the date for the next round of talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, Turkey.
