At least seven people have died and dozens more were injured after a highway bridge collapsed onto a moving passenger train in the Bryansk region of Russia late Saturday night. The tragic incident unfolded approximately 100km from the Ukraine border, in what authorities described as a case of possible “illegal interference in transport operations.”
According to Moscow Railway, the bridge collapse brought down several heavy trucks onto the train as it was traveling between Klimovo and Moscow. The train’s locomotive and several carriages derailed under the weight of the debris. Images shared online and by state media showed twisted metal and shattered train cars, with passengers helping each other escape the wreckage in the dark.
The Russian Emergencies Ministry confirmed that 31 people were injured, with two one of them a child—reported to be in serious condition. All injured passengers have been transported to medical facilities in the Bryansk region for treatment.
Local governor Alexander Bogomaz confirmed the death toll and said rescue operations continued into the early hours, with fire and rescue units deployed to search for additional passengers possibly trapped in the wreckage. Additional equipment and lighting towers were rushed to the site to support overnight operations.
In a statement posted to Telegram, Moscow Railway suggested sabotage may have played a role, stating that the collapse occurred “as a result of illegal interference in transport operations.” Russian authorities have since launched an investigation through the interregional transport prosecutor’s office.
In a related incident, a second bridge collapsed hours later in the Kursk region, along the Trosna-Kalinovka highway. Acting governor Alexander Khinshtein reported that a freight train traveling over the bridge at the time caught fire after a section fell onto the road below. One driver sustained leg injuries.
The passengers from the Bryansk train were evacuated to a nearby station, where they were guided onto a reserve train bound for Moscow. The incident has raised fresh concerns over rail and infrastructure security in regions bordering Ukraine.
Authorities continue to investigate the causes of both collapses as emergency crews work at the scenes.
