Crimea Bridge explosion: Two road sections partially collapse

Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed to create a government commission in connection with the emergency on the Crimean Bridge, Kremlin's official spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday, October 8.

"In connection with the emergency on the Crimean Bridge, Vladimir Putin received reports from Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov and Transport Ministry Gennady Savelyev, as well as from the heads of law enforcement agencies, — Peskov said. — The President instructed the Prime Minister to form a government commission to find out the reasons behind the incident and to eliminate the consequences as soon as possible.

Earlier on Saturday, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) said that a truck exploded on the Crimean Bridge early in the morning, causing seven fuel tanks of the train to catch fire. Two automobile spans of the bridge partially collapsed. The arch over the land part of the bridge was not damaged, the NAC said. According to preliminary information from the regional authorities, no one was hurt as a result of the incident.

Preparations for restoration works have already begun.

According to most recent reports, three were killed in the explosion.

"Today at 6:07 a. m., on the automobile part of the Crimean Bridge from the side of the Taman Peninsula, a truck was blown up, which caused seven fuel tanks of a railway train heading towards the Crimean Peninsula to catch fire," the NAC said.

The fire has been extinguished.

Traffic on the bridge has been suspended, navigation in the strait continues.

Food supplies on Crimea enough for 55 days

Deputy Minister of Industrial Policy of the Crimean Republic, Irina Mezavtsova, said that the supplies of food and non-food essentials in Crimea were enough for up to 55 days.

Maria Zakharova, an official representative for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that people in power in Ukraine were terrorists in their nature.

"The reaction from the Kyiv regime to the destruction of civilian infrastructure testifies to its terrorist nature,” the diplomat wrote on Telegram.

Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, said after the explosion on the bridge:

"Crimea, the bridge, the beginning. Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be destroyed.”

Oleg Morozov, a member of the State Duma from United Russia Party, said that the explosions were not just a challenge, but a declaration of war without rules.