Two bridges in the Russian regions of Bryansk and Kursk collapsed overnight while trains were passing over them. At least seven people died. The Russian Investigative Committee blamed the collapses on explosions that are being investigated as "acts of terrorism" by Moscow authorities.

The first to collapse was a railway bridge in the Vygonichi district of the Bryansk region last night , derailing a passenger train traveling from Klimov to Moscow . Seven people were killed and 69 injured , according to Bryansk Oblast Governor Alexander Bogomaz, who added that the bridge collapsed following an explosion.

The second is a railway bridge that collapsed in Kursk late in the evening while a freight train was traveling on it in the Zheleznogorsk district. According to the acting governor of the Kursk region, Alexander Khinshtein, as reported by Interfax, a section of the train fell onto the highway, one of the drivers suffered leg injuries, and the entire team of drivers was rushed to the hospital.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been kept informed of the explosions that caused the collapse, the Kremlin said: "Throughout the night, the president has been receiving reports from the FSB and the Emergencies Ministry about the accident involving trains in the Kursk and Bryansk regions."

(Unioneonline/vl)