10 ay önce

Over 100 people injured in train collision in Southern Russia

The train was carrying around 800 passengers between the cities of Kazan and Adler when it collided with the truck at an "unguarded crossing", the governor of the region says.

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About 30 people were hospitalised, including 15 children, and 22 ambulance crews were despatched to the scene to treat the injured, the TASS news agency reported. / Photo: AA

More than 100 people have been injured when a passenger train carrying more than 800 passengers collided with a truck at a railway crossing in southern Russia.

In a statement on Monday, Russian Railways said that 140 passengers on board suffered abrasions and bruises, and 30 people, including 12 children, have been hospitalised.

Video published on social media on Monday showed parts of what appeared to be the truck scattered on a grassy embankment beside a railway track, where several train carriages lay on their side.

The train was carrying around 800 passengers between the cities of Kazan and Adler when it collided with the truck at an "unguarded crossing", the governor of the southern Volgograd region, Andrei Bocharov, said.

"Emergency rescue work is being carried out at the site of the train derailment. Nine carriages derailed. Seven of them overturned," the emergency situations ministry said.

"Provisionally, more than 100 people have been injured."

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Meanwhile, Volgograd's regional administration said on Telegram that Governor Andrey Bocharov had visited the incident site and instructed that the railroad be cleared as soon as possible.

Criminal probe launched

The country's Investigative Committee said it had launched a criminal probe into the incident.

Russian Railways, the state-run operator, blamed the driver of the truck for the incident.

"The driver grossly violated traffic rules and drove onto the crossing when the signalling system was functioning properly," it said.

"The train driver applied emergency brakes but the collision could not be avoided because of the short distance. The train was travelling at 65 kilometres per hour (40 mph)," it added.