A bridge has collapsed on a train in Russia, killing at least seven people.
The country’s emergency services said a highway bridge near the Ukrainian border collapsed onto a railway line, killing seven people on the spot.
The collapse of the bridge in Bryansk caused several heavy trucks to fall on a moving passenger train.
Another 31 people were reported injured.
The Russian Ministry of Emergency Management said fire and rescue teams were trying to rescue people traveling on the train.
In a statement posted on Telegram, Moscow Railways alleged that the bridge collapsed as a result of illegal interference in transport operations.
The statement said that unfortunately seven people died. Local governor Alexander Bogomaz said in a post on Telegram that two people, including a child, were in serious condition.
He added that all the injured passengers were taken to medical facilities in the Bryansk region. The Moscow Interregional Transport Prosecutor’s Office said it had opened an investigation into the incident.
Local authorities said the train’s locomotive and several cars were derailed when the bridge collapsed on Saturday evening. Officials said the train was travelling from the town of Klimovo to Moscow and was in the Vygonychsky district at the time of the accident. The accident occurred about 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the Ukrainian border. Sources: Reuters, BBC