A span of a very important railway bridge collapsed in Arkhangelsk region. A freight train was passing over it at the time
In Russia's Arkhangelsk region, a span of a railway bridge over the Viled River collapsed. As a result, freight train cars derailed. The incident was reported by the region's governor, Alexander Tsybulsky, writes The Moscow Times.
According to Alexander Tsybulsky, the incident occurred at 5:10 AM. He called the cause some "incident," the circumstances of which are being investigated by law enforcement agencies.
According to preliminary information, no one was injured. The span collapsed on the stretch between the Cheryomukha and Viled stations. Traffic on this section has been suspended, and recovery trains have been dispatched to the scene.
Due to the accident, ten passenger trains serving the line connecting Vorkuta, Syktyvkar, and Labytnangi with other cities in Russia were delayed at Salvychegodsk, Kotlas-Yuzhny, and Viled stations. Passengers are being transported by buses across the damaged section, and reserve trains have been arranged for them on the other side.
Effectively, as a result, the Komi Republic has been left without railway connection to the rest of Russia. There are no bypass or alternative routes in this direction, so it is impossible to run trains around the destroyed bridge.
Eyewitnesses said they heard a sharp, deafening sound before the collapse. According to the Arkhangelsk regional government, the tank cars of the freight train that fell from the bridge were empty, so no oil products spilled.
Ukrainian monitoring channels claim that sabotage is being considered as one of the possible causes of the incident. The Telegram channel Supernova+ published a screenshot of comments in a local channel where one user writes about the undermining of railway tracks. There is no official confirmation of this version.
The collapsed bridge is part of the Pechora Railway — an important transport corridor that provides passenger and freight transportation to the northern regions of Russia.
A local resident noted that restoring the bridge will be a very difficult task. According to him, it is the only bridge on the route to Vorkuta, over which freight trains constantly travel. There is no alternative route, and there is no automobile road to Vorkuta either.
An emergency situation has been introduced in the Arkhangelsk region in connection with this.
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