MOSCOW — At least seven people were killed Saturday when a bridge collapsed onto a railway in a Russian region bordering Ukraine, a governor said, which Moscow Railways blamed on "illegal interference".

 

"There are seven dead as a result of the collapse of a bridge onto railway tracks. Thirty victims, including two children, were taken to medical facilities of the Bryansk region," Aleksandr Bogomaz, the regional governor, wrote on Telegram.

 

Moscow Railways said a passenger train derailed "between Klimov and Moscow due to the collapse of a road bridge span, as a result of illegal interference in the operation of transport".

 

The incident happened at 10:44 pm between Pilshino and Vygonichi stations in the Bryansk region, Moscow Railways said on Telegram.

 

The incident did not affect other train traffic, the firm added.

 

Photos published online by Russian authorities show a collapsed section of the bridge and damaged vehicles, as rescue workers were deployed overnight.

 

The disaster area is around 100 kilometres from the Ukrainian border