The explosion and subsequent fire on the bridge connecting Crimea to the Russian mainland killed at least three people on Saturday, Russia reports.
The fire is said to have been caused by a bomb that exploded in a truck. As a result, seven petrol tanks in a train set on the adjacent railway caught fire.
“These are probably passengers of a car that drove near the truck. The bodies of two victims, a man and a woman, have already been removed from the water, and their identities have been established,” said Russian investigators. The identity of the owner of the truck is also known. It concerns someone from the Krasnodar region in the south of Russia. The owner’s home is being searched.
Part of the only country road linking Russia and Crimea was destroyed by the explosion. According to Russia’s National Counter-Terrorism Committee, two sections of the road surface on one side have collapsed, but the arch spanning the bridge is not damaged. The roadway in the opposite direction would also still be intact.
The bridge was closed to traffic due to the fire. However, the Russian news agency Interfax reports that the part of the road still intact will be reopened on Saturday at 8 p.m. (local time).
The bridge over the Kerch Strait was inaugurated in 2018, four years after the annexation of Crimea by Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the war, the bridge was often used for military supplies to soldiers in Ukraine.
Putin has been informed of the fire. He has commissioned a commission to conduct a criminal investigation. Moreover, Moscow has promised to track down the perpetrators.
Kyiv has not yet officially taken responsibility for the explosion. However, several advisers to President Volodimir Zelensky have hinted at Ukraine’s involvement.