Crimean bridge explosion: A massive explosion rang out at Europe’s longest bridge, according to Russian officials

CNN
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In a major blow to Russia, a fuel tank explosion in the early hours of Saturday morning caused part of the longest bridge in Europe linking Russia to the country annexed lands From the Crimea to the collapse, according to Russian officials.

Russian state media TASS reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin immediately ordered a “state commission” to inspect the “emergency” on the Kerch bridge in Crimea.

The TASS news agency reported that the heads of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Transport are now at the scene.

Sergei Aksenov, the Russia-appointed head of Crimea, confirmed that “two strands of road pavement for the part [of the bridge] From Krasnodar to Kerch, “After a big explosion.

“At the same time, the fuel tanks caught fire,” Aksenov said. “Two locomotives are now approaching” to remove the burning train, Aksenov said. Videos and photos from the bridge show several charred fuel trucks.

“As soon as the fire is extinguished, it will be possible to assess the extent of the damage to the bridge and columns, and it will be possible to talk about the timing of the restoration of traffic,” Aksenov said.

Pictures of the Kerch Bridge posted on social media appear to show part of the car road and the railway bridge having fallen into the water beneath. Flames were seen burning from the railway cars above.

The tanker was located on a 19-kilometre (11-mile) bridge — which is strategically significant as it connects Russia’s Krasnodar region to Russia-annexed Crimea.

The bridge spans the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea with the Sea of ​​Azov, where the main Ukrainian ports are located, including Mariupol. The source of the explosion is still unclear.

No further details were announced about the timing or scope of the commission. The decision comes after Putin received “reports from [Russian Prime Minister] Michael Mishustin [Russian Deputy Prime Minister] TASS, citing Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov, citing Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov, reported that Marat Khosnolin, heads of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Transport, heads of law enforcement agencies in connection with the emergency on the Crimean bridge.

Russian state media RIA Novosti said that “there are no expectations for the timing of the restoration of the Crimean bridge yet,” also citing Peskov.

In a post on Telegram, the adviser to the head of the Russian administration for occupied Crimea, Oleg Krenchkov, said that work is “underway to put out the fire,” adding that “the freight arches of the bridge were not damaged.”

An official in Russia’s annexed Crimea has blamed “Ukrainian saboteurs” for the explosion on the Kerch bridge in a Telegram post.

“Ukrainian saboteurs somehow managed to get their bloody paws on the Crimean embankment. Now they have something to be proud of, in 23 years of their economic activity they have not been able to build anything worthy of attention in Crimea. Said Vladimir Konstantinov, Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Crimea. , “But they succeeded in damaging the way to the Russian bridge.”

He added: “This is the essence of the Kyiv regime and the Ukrainian state … Of course, the causes of the accident will be investigated, and the damage will be quickly repaired.”

CNN cannot independently verify Konstantinov’s claim.

In an interview in August, a senior Ukrainian military commander said the Kerch bridge was a legitimate target.

“This is a necessary measure in order to deprive them (Russia) of the opportunity to provide reserves and reinforce their forces from Russian territory,” Major General Dmytro Marchenko said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.

Meanwhile, a freight train in Ilovsk in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region had a “strong explosion” on Saturday morning, according to Mariupol Mayor Adviser Petro Androchenko.

“Not only Crimea. Not just fuel tanks. There is also a freight train in Ilovaisk. Locals reported a fairly strong explosion and a subsequent explosion in the night. “The occupiers are now facing big problems with supplies from both sides,” Andrushenko said.

Pro-Russian authorities in the self-declared Donetsk Republic confirmed the cargo train incident, and posted a video on Saturday showing the aftermath of the fire at a local railway station.

The Kerch bridge At the opening of the bridge in 2018, the official news agency RIA Novosti reported that the opening of the bridge – according to Russia’s official version – was able to handle 40 thousand cars per day and transport 14 million passengers and 13 million tons of cargo annually. “Reunification” of Crimea with the Russian mainland.

After the bridge was opened, the United States condemned its construction and called it illegal.

According to a statement from the US State Department at the time, “Russia’s construction of the bridge serves as a reminder of Russia’s continued willingness to violate international law.”

“The bridge represents not only an attempt by Russia to consolidate its illegal capture and occupation of Crimea, but also impedes navigation by limiting the volume of ships that can cross the Kerch Strait, which is the only way to reach the territorial waters of Ukraine in the Sea of ​​Azov.”