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Russia’s law enforcement authority released a statement indicating that a passenger train derailed killing three people.
Knewz.com has learned that following the accident in the country's far north, local officials launched a criminal investigation.
A Telegram update on the incident, as reported by, the Russian-owned publication RIA Novosti, stated:
“The Investigative Committee confirmed the discovery of the body of the third victim of the train crash in Komi, this is a 16-year-old girl.”
According to The Moscow Times, nine of the 14 passenger cars landed on their sides near the town of Inta in the Russian republic of Komi.
The train was carrying 200 people and intended to travel the length of the country from the Arctic city of Vorkuta to the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
The railway operator responsible for the train, Russian Railways, released a statement on Telegram saying: “We offer our deepest condolences to family and friends. At this difficult moment, the hearts and thoughts of the railway workers are with you. We will do everything to provide you with the necessary support and help you overcome this irreparable loss.”
The Moscow Times cites reports by the Russian health ministry stating that 40 people were injured in the derailment.
The railway company is alleged to have promised compensation to these victims with the equivalent of $5,900 going to those who were injured, while the families of the deceased have been promised $47,000 each.
Despite the local authorities' plans to launch a criminal investigation based on railway and transportation violations, a report by another state media outlet, TASS, blames the disaster on the erosion of a railroad bed caused by higher-than-average precipitation.
The article elaborated that the surrounding area comprised swamps and forests while a picture of the derailed train depicts it lying across a river.
It further noted that there were no roads leading to the site of the incident while Reuters reported that auxiliary trains arrived on the scene to assist.
Those who survived the derailment are reported to have been housed at a school and a hospital in the nearby city of Inta while the injured were moved to a municipal hospital in the same city.
This incident follows reports that plans for Russia’s first high-speed passenger line – slated to run between the country’s capital, Moscow, and St Petersburg which lies 436 miles away – has been approved.
The project is expected to halve the current travel times of 4,5 hours with the new electrical locomotive capable of reaching speeds of 223 miles per hour.
According to an earlier report by Reuters, the project will set the state back $25.97 billion and be ready for use by 2028.
By 2030, it is anticipated that the train will run every 10-15 minutes, ferrying a total of 23 million people per year, and trigger a spike in tourism.