Twenty wagons of a freight train have derailed in the Sverdlovsk region, Russia, and seven tank cars have caught fire. The incident occurred at around 01:30 local time on the section between Makartsevo and Sedelnikovo on the Resheti-Aramil line.
There are no reports of injuries. The derailment violated the gauge of the adjacent railway, which is why traffic on the section has been temporarily suspended. Sverdlovsk Railways specifies that passenger trains do not run on this section.
The burning wagons have been disconnected
At 04:47, the burning wagons were disconnected. A recovery train is pulling 54 carriages that were not caught in the fire to a safe distance. Fire and recovery trains have been sent to the scene.
106 people and 31 pieces of equipment are involved in the liquidation of the consequences. The Russian Emergencies Ministry has engaged 58 people and 20 pieces of equipment.
Inspection of the causes has begun
The Investigative Committee of Russia has begun an investigation. “Investigators and forensic experts have been sent to the scene, all the circumstances of the accident are being established“, the Central Interregional Investigative Directorate for Transport reported.
The causes of the derailment and the subsequent fire have not yet been established. The damage to the railway infrastructure and the timeframe for restoring traffic are yet to be determined.
Sources: interfax.ru, m24.ru, vedomosti.ru