Seven people die and dozens are hurt when a bridge in western Russia falls on a train

In Bryansk, Russia, authorities claim a bridge collapsed onto a moving train, resulting in seven fatalities and thirty-one injuries.

In Bryansk, western Russia, near the Ukrainian border, a highway bridge collapsed into railroad tracks, resulting in at least seven fatalities and thirty-one injuries, according to rescue services.

Late Saturday night, a number of large trucks crashed onto a moving passenger train that was headed from Klimovo to Moscow after the bridge collapsed. As people rushed to flee the wreckage in the dark, the impact caused confusion and caused the train to derrail.

Fire and emergency personnel are searching for survivors as part of ongoing rescue efforts, according to Russia’s Emergencies Ministry. Overnight, more emergency supplies, including as rescue tools and light towers, were sent to the scene, according to the state news agency TASS.

Online users have posted graphic pictures of damaged train cars and hurt travelers helping one another. In a Telegram post, Bryansk Governor Alexander Bogomaz confirmed the deaths and stated that an adult and a child were among the critically injured. Every injured person has been transported to nearby medical institutions.

The route’s operator, Moscow Railway, said that “illegal interference in transport operations” was the cause of the collapse. Since then, the interregional transport prosecutor’s office has been in charge of an official investigation into the reason.

A second bridge fell early Sunday morning along the Trosna-Kalinovka route in the nearby Kursk region in a different but connected occurrence. Alexander Khinshtein, the acting governor of Kursk Oblast, stated that a freight train was on the bridge when it collapsed. The driver suffered leg wounds when a portion of the train collapsed onto the road and caught fire.

Although no official cause has been established, the twin accidents have sparked worries about possible sabotage. Since the start of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, both the Bryansk and Kursk regions—which border Ukraine—have been under increased surveillance.

A replacement train was set up to take the passengers from the derailed train in Bryansk to Moscow after they were evacuated and taken to a neighboring station, according to Moscow Railway.

As investigations continue, authorities continue to evaluate the damage and look for further victims.