Two bridges collapsed within hours in separate overnight incidents in Russia’s Bryansk and Kursk regions, both of which border Ukraine, leaving at least seven people dead and dozens injured, according to BBC reports.
In Bryansk, a road bridge collapsed, killing at least seven people, emergency services confirmed. Forty-seven others, including a child, were transported to the hospital, local governor Alexander Bogomaz said in a statement.
Russian Railways, via Telegram, stated only that the collapse occurred as a result of “illegal activity,” without offering further detail.
A few hours later, a second bridge collapsed in the Zheleznogorsk district of the Kursk region, where a train locomotive derailed. The train caught fire, and the engineer sustained leg injuries, according to acting governor Alexander Khinshtein.
Khinshtein said the cause of the collapse was still under investigation, but assured that “all relevant services are on site and the situation is under control.”
It remains unclear whether the two incidents are connected, but speculation has grown in the wake of similar recent events.
According to TASS, explosions may have been the cause of both collapses. Svetlana Petrenko, official spokesperson for Russia’s Investigative Committee, confirmed that on May 31 at 22:50, an explosion caused the collapse of a road bridge on the Vygonichi–Pishlino railway line in Bryansk. Additionally, she stated that around 3:00 a.m. on June 1, a rail bridge was blown up in Zheleznogorsk, Kursk region.
Russian authorities continue to investigate both incidents, while security measures in the border regions have reportedly been tightened.
