Star Metro - Seven dead, dozens hurt as Russian bridges near Ukraine collapse

In Russia's Bryansk region bordering Ukraine, a road bridge collapsed onto a railway line late on Saturday, derailing a passenger train heading to Moscow and killing seven people.

A separate rail bridge in the neighbouring Kursk region also collapsed overnight, derailing a freight train and injuring the driver, officials said.

Authorities did not say what caused the collapses, nor provide details on the incidents, but prosecutors said they had opened an investigation.

Videos posted on social media from the Bryansk region showed rescuers clambering over the mangled chassis of a train belonging to national operator Russian Railways, while screams could be heard in another video.

"There are seven dead as a result of the collapse of a bridge onto railway tracks," Alexander Bogomaz, the Bryansk region's governor, wrote on Telegram.

At least 66 others were injured, including three children, he said, giving a revised toll.

In a separate incident in the Kursk region, a rail bridge collapsed onto a road, derailing a freight train.

"Last night... in the Zheleznogorsk district, a bridge collapsed while a freight locomotive was passing. Part of the train fell onto the road below the bridge," Kursk region governor Alexander Khinshtein said on Telegram.

"One of the locomotive drivers suffered leg injuries, and the entire crew was taken to hospital," he said.

- 'Illegal interference' -

There was no immediate comment from Russian investigators on the cause of either collapse.

Moscow Railways, a state-owned railway operator, had blamed the incident in the Bryansk region on "illegal interference in the operation of transport" in a post online.

But it later appeared to have removed the reference to "illegal interference" from its post.

Ukraine, which Russia has blamed for previous incidents, did not immediately comment.

An AFP reporter in central Moscow saw ambulances parked at Kievsky railway station awaiting the arrival of injured passengers.

In one video posted from the Bryansk region social media account, someone could be heard screaming as eyewitnesses rushed to find help.

"How did the bridge collapse? There are children there!" a woman can be heard shouting in the video.

Russia's emergency ministry said a team was on site in the Bryansk region, while Russian Railways said it had dispatched repair trains to the scene.

Russia has been hit by dozens of sabotage attacks since Moscow launched its offensive against Ukraine in 2022, many targeting its vast railroad network.

Kyiv says Russia uses railroads to transport troops and weaponry to its forces fighting in Ukraine.

The incidents came on the eve of a possible meeting between Russian and Ukrainian officials in Istanbul, amid a US-led diplomatic push to end the three-year-long conflict.

T. MacDonald--SMC