2 bridges in Russia collapse in ‘blasts’

The overnight collapse of two bridges in Russian regions bordering Ukraine that killed seven people were caused by explosions, Russian officials said yesterday, treating them as "acts of terrorism".

In Russia's Bryansk region bordering Ukraine, a blast caused a road bridge to collapse onto a railway line late Saturday, derailing a passenger train heading to Moscow and killing seven people, authorities said.

A separate rail bridge in the neighbouring Kursk region was blown up hours later in the early hours yesterday, derailing a freight train and injuring the driver.

Authorities did not say who was behind the explosions, but investigators said a criminal inquiry was underway. Russian President Vladimir Putin was briefed on the incidents throughout the night, the Kremlin said.

Meanwhile, a Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian army training area killed at least 12 soldiers and wounded dozens more yesterday, Kyiv said, in a rare admission of its military losses.

Videos posted on social media from the Bryansk region showed rescuers clambering over the mangled chassis of a train belonging to national operator Russian Railways, while screams could be heard in another video.

"There are seven dead as a result of the collapse of a bridge onto railway tracks," Alexander Bogomaz, the Bryansk region's governor, wrote on Telegram.

At least 71 people were injured, 44 of whom were in hospital, he told reporters.

In the incident in the Kursk region, a rail bridge collapsed onto a road, derailing a freight train.

"Last night... in the Zheleznogorsk district, a bridge collapsed while a freight locomotive was passing. Part of the train fell onto the road below the bridge," Kursk region governor Alexander Khinshtein said on Telegram.

Meanwhile, Ukraine attacked Russian nuclear-capable long-range bombers at a military base in Siberia yesterday, the first such attack so far from the front lines more than 4,300 km away, according to pro-Russian bloggers.

Unverified video and pictures posted on social media showed Russian strategic bombers - whose purpose is to drop nuclear bombs on distance targets - on fire at the Belaya air base north of Irkutsk.