Watch: Three Dead in Explosion on Road and Rail Bridge Link Between Russia and Crimea

Moscow: Russia said on Saturday that a powerful explosion caused a huge fireball and severely damaged the country’s bridge to Crimea. At least three people were killed in the key road and rail bridge blast, authorities said, adding the victims were in a nearby car travelling near the truck that exploded. 

The blast set ablaze seven oil tankers transported by train and it resulted in the collapse of two car lanes of the road and rail structure. Russian authorities said the part of the damaged bridge will reopen soon. They also said the road traffic will resume on the undamaged lane this evening. 

“Today at 6:07 am (0307 GMT) on the road traffic side of the Crimean bridge ... a car bomb exploded, setting fire to seven oil tankers being carried by rail to Crimea,” Russian media outlets reported citing national anti-terrorism committee as saying. 

🇺🇦 ÚLTIMA HORA 🇷🇺

Explosión en el puente de Crimea que conecta a la península con Rusia. Las autoridades rusas dicen no saber cuándo volverá a estar operativo esta ruta vital de reabastecimiento. Un oficial ucraniano dice que este ataque es solo el principio. pic.twitter.com/dxOkRMogqB

— Descifrando la Guerra (@descifraguerra) October 8, 2022

The road and rail Kerch bridge is the sole land link that connects Russia to Crime, the Ukrainian peninsula it annexed in 2014. President Vladimir Putin had thrown open the bridge to the public four years after the annexation. 
Russia has not immediately blamed Ukraine, however, vowed to find the perpetrators responsible for the explosion. 

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There were gleeful messages from Ukraine over the damage to Russia's vital transport link to Crime, however, nobody has claimed responsibility. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s presidential advisor Mykhalio Podolyak took to Twitter to post a picture of a half-submerged bridge. 

“Crimea, the bridge, the beginning. Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled,” he wrote. 

Crimea, the bridge, the beginning. Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled. pic.twitter.com/yUiSwOLlDP

— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) October 8, 2022