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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Dozens feared dead in Russia train derailment - terrorism? |
| 2009-11-28 |
| The cause of the accident was unclear but police were investigating the possibility of a terrorist attack. The carriages came off the track as the train was en route between Russia's two main cities on one of the country's busiest rail links. A government spokesman said the accident to the Neva Express happened at 9.30pm (1830 GMT) near the town of Bologoye some 250 miles north-west of Moscow and 150 miles south-east of St Petersburg. Four carriages came off the rails as the train was travelling between stations in Aleshinka in the region of Tver and Uglovka in Novgorod region, Russian Railways told Russia's Interfax news agency in a statement. Reports that a small crater was found at the site of the wreck lead to speculation that the derailment could have been caused by a bomb. A bomb blast on the same line in 2007 derailed a passenger train and injured 27 people. "There are injured," the government spokesman said without giving further details. "Medics, rescue teams and police are working at the scene." An unnamed source at the Russian emergencies ministry told Ria-Novosti news agency that 10 people had been killed and 130 injured. Frantic efforts were under way late last night to rescue those survivors trapped on the carriages. Emergency services said it was likely that bodies were buried under the wreckage. No official statements were available as to what may have caused the accident but the Interfax news agency quoted a law-enforcement source as saying terrorism could have played a part. |
| Posted by:lotp |
| #1 Chechen IED learned from AQ in Iraq or Afghanistan. Or as Sarah, would say, "you betcha". |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2009-11-28 02:04 |