Moscow reports at least two dead in an explosion on the bridge linking the Crimean peninsula with Russia
The governor of the Russian region of Belgorod, Viacheslav Gladkov, has assured this Monday that at least two resident citizens of this province died in the “emergency” that occurred this morning on the Crimean bridge, while a girl was injured. The governor has explained that it is a couple and his daughter, who has suffered “moderate” injuries and will be transported immediately to Belgorod when the doctors allow it. “In recent days, we have been sending our children to the Crimean camps,” explained Gladkov, who wanted to reassure parents by stating that “nothing threatens the lives” of these minors.
Sergei Axiónov, the governor of the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014, reported an “emergency” on the Kerch bridge on Monday after hearing at least two explosions and subsequently detecting damage to the road. “Traffic has been suspended on the Crimean bridge: an emergency occurred in the area of support (pillar) 145 of the Krasnodar Territory,” he stated on his Telegram channel.
The Russian Ministry of Transport has acknowledged that there is “damage to the road on the sections of the Crimean bridge” that links the occupied peninsula with Russia, but that the pillars are intact, according to the TASS agency.
Media such as the Telegram channel Astra previously claimed that a section of the bridge has fallen after at least two explosions were heard, according to residents. Several locals have claimed to have heard two explosions around 00.04 and 00.20 GMT, according to their comments on the Russian social network VKontakte.
In October last year, a truck full of explosives exploded on the bridge, considered the longest in Europe with its 19 kilometers and the jewel in the crown of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was described by Russia as a terrorist attack organized by Ukraine. Five people died in the attack. (Eph)
