Seven passenger cars derailed due to what officials believe were "poor track conditions"
Credit: Investigative Committee of Russia via AP
NEED TO KNOW
- A passenger train carrying more than 400 people derailed on April 3, injuring 59 people, including four children
- Officials said seven cars derailed, with dozens of passengers seeking medical care and several hospitalized with injuries such as fractures
- Authorities believe “poor track conditions” may have caused the crash, and a multi-agency investigation is now underway
A passenger train carrying more than 400 people has derailed, injuring 59 people, including four children.
The crash occurred on a Russian Railways train in Russia's Ulyanovsk region, which is about 560 miles from Moscow, the morning of Friday, April 3, per a translated statement from the region’s governor, Aleksey Russkikh, on Telegram, an international social media platform.
Seven train cars derailed, and emergency teams were dispatched to the scene, according to Russkikh.
Credit: Investigative Committee of Russia via AP
In an update on April 3, Russkikh said there were a total of 412 people on the train at the time of the accident, and that 55 adult passengers ultimately sought medical attention, 17 of whom were hospitalized.
Several of the passengers sustained “fractures,” he said.
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Four children were hospitalized, and their condition is “satisfactory,” per Russkikh.
Credit: Maksim Bogodvid / Sputnik via AP
Russkikh additionally said that a team of taekwondo athletes from Ulyanovsk, “aged 12 to 14,” who were heading to a competition, were also on the train, though they only suffered “scrapes and bruises.”
The Investigative Committee, Russia’s top investigative body, has since stated that “poor track conditions” are believed to have been the cause of the incident, per TASS, Russia’s main state news agency.
A multi-agency investigation into the incident has been launched, according to the outlet.
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Russian Railways and Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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