A road bridge has collapsed onto a railway track in Russia, leaving one person dead and five others injured.
The incident in Vyazma, in the Smolensk region, also cut off around 8,000 households from gas due to pipelines being damaged.
The Paninsky Bridge crumbled as a lorry was passing over it, with a woman crossing the bridge in her car dying on the scene.
The man driving the lorry remains severely injured, according to Russia’s Ministry for Emergency Situations.
A bridge has collapsed on railway tracks in Russia, leaving one dead and five injured Moscow Interregional Transport Prosecutor's Office Five people have been hospitalised, with one of them in a serious condition, according to Russia’s Ministry for Emergency Situations.
Out of those injured, three have been sent to Moscow for care, whilst a 14-year-old girl is being treated in a local hospital.
No train was crossing the tracks at the time of the incident; however, all train traffic was subsequently halted.
Multiple cars were passing over the structure when it collapsed.
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Locals have claimed that the bridge was “not in the best condition”, Russian news outlet Glavnaya Tema reported.
An investigation into the cause of the collapse has been launched.
Regional Governor Vasiliy Anokhin wrote online: “My deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased woman.”
He said that six of the bridge’s seven spans collapsed.
The crash took place in Vyazma, in the Smolensk region in western Russia
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Anokhin added that more than 160 emergency personnel are working at the scene to restore train traffic.
The Paninsky Bridge was constructed in 1980 and connects the central part of the city with the Moskovsky, Yubileiny microdistricts and the village of Vyazma-Bryanskaya.
Authorities announced in 2018 that they would overhaul the surface of the road on the bridge.
In 2023, the bridge was due for an inspection but this never occurred, the Ukrainska Pravda claimed citing Russian media.