Explosion in Crimea: Freight train derails

An explosion on railway tracks took place in Crimea. The blast took place at around 7:45 a.m. on Thursday, May 18, in the area of the village of Chistenkoye near Simferopol and Bakhchisaray. The sound of the explosion could be heard in neighbouring villages, eyewitnesses said.

The bomb was planted underneath railroad tracks. It exploded at the moment when a freight train was traveling on that particular section of the tracks. The explosion caused seven train cars loaded with grain to derail.

As a result of the act of sabotage, 50 meters of the railway track were damaged. The blast also formed a 15-meter funnel about two meters deep.

The railway communication between Simferopol and Sevastopol was suspended. Train passengers were asked to switch to buses. According to the head of the region Sergey Aksenov, no one was hurt in the explosion.

According to the Crimean Railway, the freight train derailed near the village of Chistenkoye due to "the interference of unauthorised individuals in the work of railway transport."

Eyewitnesses said that shortly before the explosion, they noticed a suspicious man near the railway. The man examined the tracks in the location where the explosion occurred, and then disappeared in the forest.