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Passenger Train in Russia Derails: 25 Dead 100 Injured 40 Missing

by Amy Judd | November 27, 2009 at 01:48 pm

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A passenger train in Russia derailed today leaving 25 dead and 100 injured with 40 people still missing from the 660 passengers.

A major rescue effort continues as the government said 25 people had died, with 100 injured, and another 40 unaccounted for among 660 passengers.

A small crater has been found under one of the rails, sparking speculation of a possible terrorist act.

"Several versions are being considered. It must be just a pit someone dug out. Or the crater was left by an explosive device," the agency quoted the source as saying.

The numbers were originally 10 dead and 130 injured, then 22 dead and 54 injured but they have been adjusted now as more people have been found in the wreckage.

The train was traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburg and the crash occured 280 kilometres outside of St. Petersburg at 9:38pm local time.

The train is a high speed train called the Nevsky Express, which is the equivalent of Japan's bullet train. Rescue workers were trying to free people trapped in the wreckage, but at this point it is not clear how many fatalities were from people on board the train or from the surrounding area.

State media outlets said at least four carriages derailed. Police were investigating a small crater underneath the rails.

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KKwet echantillons gratuits (not verified)

at 15:03 on November 27th, 2009

It's really orible ....

Rhonda J Mangus

at 16:56 on November 27th, 2009

Thank you for the update, Amy.

Rhonda J Mangus

at 20:46 on November 27th, 2009

Update:

A passenger train running from Moscow to St. Petersburg derailed Friday, causing 25 deaths and 87 injuries, state-run Russian television reported.

Rhonda J Mangus

at 20:55 on November 27th, 2009

Terrorism feared:

According to Russia's Interfax news agency, law enforcement sources have said "it could have been caused by a terrorist act."

Amy Judd

at 21:38 on November 27th, 2009

Thank you for the updates here Rhonda, much appreciated.

Rhonda J Mangus

at 21:40 on November 27th, 2009

You are very welcome, Amy. It's a very tragic situation.

Mritunjay

at 00:03 on November 28th, 2009

The officials have not ruled this out as a terrorist act till now as they fear that the luxury train which was popular with businessmen and govt. officials could have been the primary target.

Russian trains have been soft target of Chechen and other terrorist groups in the past too:

A December 2003 suicide bomb attack on a commuter train near the Russian republic of Chechnya killed 44.
At least 12 people were injured in June 2005 when a bomb derailed a train headed from Chechnya to Moscow.
An explosion on the Moscow-St. Petersburg line in 2007 derailed a passenger train and injured 27 people. Two suspects were arrested and authorities are searching for a former military officer they believe was behind the blast, but the motive was unclear.

Rhonda J Mangus

at 08:49 on November 28th, 2009

Russia: Bomb caused train crash that killed 26

UGLOVKA, Russia — A homemade bomb was planted on the tracks of the high-speed Moscow-to-St. Petersburg train route, causing a derailment that killed at least 26 people and injured dozens more, Russian officials said Saturday as they opened a terrorism investigation.

The head of Russia’s Federal Security Service, Alexander Borotnikov, said an improvised explosive device equivalent to 15 pounds (7 kilograms) of TNT had detonated when the train passed over it Friday night about 9:30 p.m. Remains of the device were found at the site of the crash, Borotnikov said.

“Indeed, this was a terrorist attack,” the Interfax news agency cited Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for federal prosecutors, as saying. He told the ITAR-Tass news agency the bomb crater on the track was 1.5 meters (5 feet) deep.