Second train derails in Russia within a day

Kursk

A freight train derailed in Russia’s Kursk region on Sunday after a railway bridge collapsed, marking the second train accident in less than 24 hours. The incident took place in the Zheleznogorsk district, near the 48th kilometre of the Trosna-Kalinovka highway.

According to acting governor Alexander Khinshtein, the bridge collapsed while the train was passing over it. Three empty cars and the locomotive fell onto the road below. The locomotive caught fire, but emergency teams quickly put out the flames. One driver suffered a leg injury, and traffic under the bridge has been suspended.

This comes just hours after a passenger train derailed in the Bryansk region. That train was traveling from Moscow to Klimov and fell off the tracks after another bridge collapse in the Vygonichskyi district. Seven people died, including the train's driver, and 69 were injured.

Around 180 rescue workers rushed to the Bryansk site. Authorities suspect "illegal interference" may have caused the earlier derailment. A Telegram news channel, Baza, reported that early findings suggest the bridge might have been blown up, though no solid evidence has been confirmed.

The Kursk, Bryansk, and Belgorod regions have often experienced cross-border attacks, drone strikes, and sabotage since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. These latest incidents have raised fresh concerns over railway safety and security in border areas.

Investigations into both derailments are ongoing. Officials are trying to determine if there is a link or if sabotage was involved in both cases. For now, rail operations in the affected regions remain suspended or diverted.