Bridge collapses on Trans-Siberian Railway - News from Russia

An automobile bridge overpassing the Trans-Siberian Railway partially collapsed in the town of Svobodny of the Amur region of Russia. The bridge was built n 1982, EMERCOM officials said.

A truck was traveling on the bridge the moment when the accident occurred. The driver of the truck was hospitalized with broken legs and a closed cranial injury. No one else was injured.

The authorities declared a state of emergency of the municipal level. The moment when the bridge collapsed on the railway was captured on CCTV cameras. As one can see, the bridge collapses a few seconds after the last carriage of a cargo train passes underneath it.

Officials with the regional authorities believe that the accident most likely occurred because of the overloaded truck that was crossing the bridge. The total weight of the truck exceeded the permitted limit of 44 tons,  the governor of the region, Vasily Orlov, said at a news conference.