Deaths as Russian train hits collapsed bridge after ‘illegal interference'
Officials said at least seven people were killed and 30 were hospitalised in Vygonichskyi in Russia's Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine. Russian Railways blamed 'the collapse of a span structure of the road bridge as a result of an illegal interference in the operation of transport'.
Russia's federal road transportation agency, Rosavtodor, said the destroyed bridge passed above the railway tracks where the train was travelling. Among those killed was the locomotive driver, Russian state news agencies reported, citing medics.
Photos posted by government agencies appeared to show passenger cars from the train ripped apart and lying amid fallen concrete from the collapsed bridge. Other footage on social media appeared to be taken from inside vehicles that narrowly avoided driving on to the bridge before it collapsed, the Associated Press said.
The Russian social media channels Baza and Shot, which often publish information from security service sources, said the train crashed into the collapsed bridge. Baza reported, without providing evidence, that according to preliminary information the bridge was blown up. Reuters said it could not independently verify the Baza and Shot reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
The train was going from the town of Klimovo to Moscow, Russian Railways said. It collided with the collapsed bridge in the area of a federal highway in the Vygonichskyi district of the Bryansk region, said Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of the Bryansk region. The district lies 100km (62 miles) from the border with Ukraine.
Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 there have been continued cross-border clashes including shelling, drone and missile strikes, and covert raids from Ukraine into the Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod regions.
The Bryansk regional governor, Alexander Bogomaz, said seven people died and two children were among the 30 injured. 'Everything is being done to provide all necessary assistance to the victims.'
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Reuters
3 minutes ago
- Reuters
Outline emerges of Putin's offer to end his war in Ukraine
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BreakingNews.ie
33 minutes ago
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
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Jabed Ahmed16 August 2025 20:58 Full report | Putin demands Zelensky surrenders Donestsk region as condition for ending war in Ukraine Our World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley reports: Putin demands Ukraine surrenders Donestsk region as condition for ending war Details on Vladimir Putin's demand for Ukrainian terriotary comes ahead of Volodymyr Zelensky meeting Donald Trump in Washington on Monday Ukraine says it presses Russian troops back on part of Sumy front The Ukrainian military said that it had pushed Russian forces back by about 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) on part of the Sumy front in northern Ukraine. There was no immediate comment from Russia, which controls a little over 200 square kilometres in the region, according to Ukraine's battlefield mapping project DeepState. "Ukrainian soldiers continue active combat actions to destroy the enemy and liberate our settlements," the Ukrainian general staff wrote on Facebook. It added that fighting was raging near the villages of Oleksiivka and Yunakivka, which lie 5 km and 7 km from the Russian border, respectively. The ebb and flow of the battlefield lines has taken on greater political significance in recent days as Ukraine finds itself at another critical diplomatic juncture with U.S. President Donald Trump stepping up his efforts to broker an end to the war. Jabed Ahmed16 August 2025 20:02 Watch | Starmer speaks with Trump after president's Ukraine ceasefire talks with Putin Jabed Ahmed16 August 2025 19:59 Trump and Zelensky to meet at the White House Monday. 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Following the round of calls, the Prime minister said: 'President Trump's efforts have brought us closer than ever before to ending Russia's illegal war in Ukraine. His leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing should be commended. 'While progress has been made, the next step must be further talks involving President Zelensky. The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without him.' Jabed Ahmed16 August 2025 18:59 Jabed Ahmed16 August 2025 18:31 The key takeaways from Putin and Trump's summit in Alaska My colleague Holly Evans reports: The key takeaways from Putin and Trump's summit in Alaska Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is due to meeting Trump in Washington next week after the Alaska summit ended without a deal Jabed Ahmed16 August 2025 18:12 Comment | Putin got everything he wanted from Trump – Ukraine will be terrified for what comes next Jon Sopel writes: When I went to bed last night, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin had just gone into their summit meeting in Anchorage, Alaska – and I really had not the faintest idea what I might wake up to. Would it be a comprehensive peace deal agreed between the two of them that would totally screw Ukraine; or would it be a furious Trump announcing massive, punitive sanctions against Russia over Putin's intransigence – something he had been threatening just a couple of weeks ago before announcing the summit? Or would it be any number of outcomes in between? Instead, we woke up to – well, what exactly? Sure, there was a lot of vacuous vibe stuff about progress, constructive talks, deeper understanding, but let's be clear about the headline: THERE WAS NO DEAL. The missiles, the attack drones, will continue and, as far as we can tell, there is no timetable for a ceasefire. Both Ukraine and Europe will be concerned about the Alaska summit and how it took place, writes Jon Sopel, and it's not looking good for President Zelensky's imminent visit to the White House Jabed Ahmed16 August 2025 17:49 Nordic-Baltic leaders say they remain steadfast in support of Ukraine The leaders of eight Nordic-Baltic nations have said that they remain steadfast in their support for Ukraine and to the efforts by Donald Trump to end the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The leaders of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden said in a statement that achieving peace between Ukraine and Russia requires a ceasefire and security guarantees for Ukraine. "We welcome President Trump's statement that the US is prepared to participate in security guarantees. No limitations should be placed on Ukraine's armed forces or on its cooperation with other countries," the statement said. Trump has said that he had agreed with Putin that a peace deal should be sought without the prior ceasefire that Ukraine and its European allies, until now with US support, have demanded. Jabed Ahmed16 August 2025 17:36
