7 dead after two bridges collapse in Russia blasts
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Two explosions in Russia’s Bryansk and Kursk regions near the Ukrainian border killed seven and injured dozens. Authorities suspect sabotage targeting critical railway infrastructure.
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The freight train derailment in Russia's Kursk region near the Ukrainian border left a bridge severely damaged, June 1, 2025 (AP)
Two bridges in Russian regions near Ukraine collapsed overnight due to explosions, killing seven people, according to Russian officials on Sunday, who are treating the incidents as "acts of terrorism."
A blast in Russia's Bryansk region near the Ukrainian border caused a road bridge to collapse onto a railway line late Saturday, derailing a Moscow-bound passenger train and killing seven people, according to authorities.
In the neighboring Kursk region, a separate rail bridge was blown up in the early hours of Sunday, causing a freight train to derail and injuring the driver.
Authorities did not immediately identify who was responsible for the explosions, though investigators confirmed that a criminal investigation had been launched into the incidents.
Social media videos from the Bryansk region showed rescuers climbing over the twisted wreckage of a Russian Railways train, with screams audible in another clip from the scene.
"There are seven dead as a result of the collapse of a bridge onto railway tracks," Bryansk Governor Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram, adding that 71 people were injured and 44 of them were in the hospital.
In the Kursk region, a freight train derailed when a rail bridge gave way, sending part of the locomotive crashing onto the roadway below, as Kursk governor Alexander Khinshtein reported on Telegram, explaining that the overnight collapse in Zheleznogorsk district occurred while the train was crossing the structure.
"One of the locomotive drivers suffered leg injuries, and the entire crew was taken to hospital," he said.
Russian investigators did not immediately identify who carried out the blasts, though a spokeswoman for Russia's Investigative Committee stated that the incidents had been classified as terrorist acts, but did not provide further details. Senior ruling party lawmaker Andrey Klishas accused Ukraine of responsibility, labeling the country a "terrorist enclave."
