This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
At least 70 people were injured on June 26 when nine of 14 passenger train cars derailed in the Komi region of western Russia.
According to TASS, the carriages derailed after leaving the station in the town of Inta. The governor of the Komi region, Vladimir Uyba; the head of Inta’s municipal district, Vladimir Kiselyov; and First Deputy Mayor Grigory Nikolayev went to the scene of the derailment, according to a Telegram post.
No deaths have been reported, but TASS said at least 70 of the 232 passengers were injured. RFE/RL’s Russian Service estimates 150 of the passengers were traveling in the carriages that derailed.
A passenger who climbed out of one of the cars described the scene as a “nightmare” in a video on Telegram showing the derailed cars lying on their side.
Officials blame the derailment on a washed-out embankment. The same heavy rainfall that caused the embankment to erode has led to flooding and impassible roads which are hindering emergency services, according to the regional Health Ministry.
Two recovery trains were sent to the site of the derailment by Russian Railways, the company that owns the No. 511 Vorkuta-Novorossiysk. In addition, the ministry told TASS that doctors will fly to the derailment site in three helicopters within an hour.
Train traffic in the region has been suspended and the Transport Prosecutor’s Office announced an investigation. Russian Railways has also launched an investigation under Russian Railways director Oleg Belozerov, according to a Telegram post.
In 2019, a criminal case investigated the derailment of 23 freight cars in Komi. TASS reported that the freight train derailed due to erosion caused by a pipe-culvert defect, and no injuries were reported.
