Multiple cars carrying fuel ignited after a deadly collision with a truck, officials say
A freight train exploded into flames after colliding with a truck in Russia’s Smolensk Region on Friday, the authorities have said.
The crash occurred at a road crossing about 45 kilometers west of Smolensk on the railway line to Vitebsk, Belarus, officials reported.
The Investigative Committee said the truck driver, who died at the scene, appeared to have ignored warning lights and failed to stop. The agency has opened a criminal negligence case.
Railway officials said the train’s engineer and assistant suffered minor injuries but did not require hospitalization.
According to the statement, 18 cars derailed: 16 of them tipped over and caught fire, including 12 carrying gasoline and four loaded with timber.
Russia’s Emergencies Ministry deployed ten fire trucks as well as a specialized firefighting train to battle the blaze.
Both train and road traffic through the crossing were suspended, but officials said the disruption was minor and did not affect cross-border travel with Belarus.
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