Two bridges collapse in Russia, at least seven dead and 66 injured – Liberation

During the night from Saturday to Sunday, two bridges collapsed in southwest Russia, near the Ukrainian border, causing trains derailing, one of which left at least seven dead and 66 injured, according to the authorities. These collapses were caused by « Explosions »said Russian investigators on Sunday, June 1.

The first disaster occurred on Saturday evening in the British region. The Russian authorities have at this stage made no connection with the conflict in Ukraine, which has not officially commented on the incident. « The collapse of a bridge on railways left seven dead »simply wrote the regional governor Alexandre Bogomaz on Telegram. He then mentioned the figure of 66 injured, including 3 children, in an early update on Sunday, after previously reported 69 injured.

The train accident N.86 which connected Klimov, in the Belgorod region (Southwest), in Moscow, occurred at 10:44 p.m. local (9:44 p.m. French time) at Pilchino-Vygonitchi level, Moscow railways on Telegram said. According to the national company, the collapse of the bridge is due to a « Illegal interference in the transport operation ». She said the circulation of other trains was not disrupted.

Videos published on social networks show rescuers to activate on the scene, while an important scree covers what seems to be a train train. The disaster sector is around a hundred kilometers from Ukraine. An AFP journalist noted in the center of Moscow ambulances parked at Kyiv station, awaiting the arrival of injured passengers.

Sunday morning, the governor of the neighboring region of Koursk, Alexandre Khinshtein, reported on Telegram the collapse of another bridge, rail this time, on which was circulating a locomotive that « fall » on the highway passing below and « Etbuite ». The drivers, of which he did not specify the number, were injured and taken to the hospital, said the governor.

Like Belgorod and Briansk, the Koursk region is a border of Ukraine. Kyiv’s forces had a time seized with 1,400 square kilometers there After a surprise assault in August 2024, before it was resumed in April. Cases of Russian railway sabotages occurred in areas near Ukraine.

At the beginning of April, the justice of the Volgograd region (Southwest), a non-border of Ukraine but still relatively close, reported the conviction to fourteen years in prison of a 23-year-old young man, who was guilty of having set fire to rail infrastructure. He had recognized the facts, qualified as a pro-Ukraine act.

In the neighboring region of Saratov, two 24 -year -old men received sentences of fourteen and twelve years in prison in a similar case. Most attacks of this type are carried out by young individuals, sometimes minor. Ukraine generally does not comment on sabotage in Russian territory. But it can happen that it welcomes it, considering that these are legitimate responses to the offensives of Russia against its own rail network.