Rail traffic has been suspended between two major cities of the Crimean peninsula after a freight train carrying grain was derailed, the region’s Russian-installed leader said on Thursday.
Rail services were halted between Simferopol, the capital of the annexed peninsula, and the city of Sevastopol following the derailment, which Crimean railways said was caused by “interference by outsiders” in a statement following the incident. There were no reported injuries.
Baza, a Kremlin-aligned Telegram channel which has links to Russian security services, reported an explosion on a railway line in the region of Simferopol at 08:20 am local time.
“About 50 metres of track were damaged. A large crater was found at the site of the IED explosion. A total of eight cars came off the tracks, five of which overturned.” The channel also shared purported images of the overturned train, which showed two carriages on their side.
Earlier this month, two freight trains were derailed in Russia’s Bryansk region following explosions on the tracks. Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for any of the incidents.
