TERRORIST ATTACKS? 7 dead after two Russian bridges collapse

International

AT LEAST seven people were killed and dozens more were injured after two bridges collapsed in separate incidents in Russia’s western border regions late Saturday.

Both collapses are now under investigation as potential “acts of terrorism.”

The first incident occurred in Bryansk, where a road bridge fell onto a moving passenger train, causing several heavy trucks to crash onto the train. The train, traveling from Klimovo to Moscow, derailed in the Vygonichsky district after the bridge collapsed on top of it.

Governor Alexander Bogomaz confirmed in a BBC report that at least seven people were killed and 71 others were injured in the accident. Passengers were evacuated and transported to a nearby station, where they were transferred to a reserve train to continue their journey.

Just hours later, another bridge collapsed in the Zheleznogorsk district of Kursk. A locomotive derailed and caught fire, and the driver suffered leg injuries. Acting governor Alexander Khinshtein said emergency teams were dispatched to the scene, and the cause of the collapse would be determined as the investigation continues.

Both incidents are being treated as potential terrorism by state media. Moscow Railway claimed that the collapse in Bryansk was likely the result of “illegal interference,” although no specific cause has been confirmed. Russian authorities have launched an investigation, and the interregional transport prosecutor’s office is looking into the events.

Images from the scene in Bryansk showed overturned train carriages, with passengers helping each other out of the wreckage in the dark. Additional emergency responders, along with rescue equipment and light towers for nighttime operations, have been sent to the area, according to Russian news agency TASS.

President Vladimir Putin was briefed on the incidents throughout the night, the Kremlin confirmed.

The Bryansk collapse occurred approximately 100 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, raising tensions in the region. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials have denied involvement in the incidents. Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council’s Centre for Countering Disinformation, accused Russia of staging “false flag” operations to influence international opinion ahead of peace talks in Turkey on Monday.

Kovalenko stressed that Ukraine had “absolutely no incentive to sabotage the Istanbul summit.”

In a separate development, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched 472 drone and UAV attacks, as well as seven missile strikes, targeting seven Ukrainian regions overnight on Saturday.(MyTVCebu)