Moscow, June 01 (QNA) - Russian authorities announced that at least seven people were killed and about 30 others were injured, including two children, when a train derailed following the collapse of a bridge in the Bryansk region near the Ukrainian border.

Russian Railways said in a statement via Telegram that the locomotive and several train cars derailed as a result of "the collapse of a span structure of the road bridge as a result of an illegal interference in the operation of transport," without providing further details.

Bryansk Governor Alexander Bogomaz said two children were among the injured, one of whom in critical condition, and that the train driver was among those killed.

According to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, rescue and emergency teams are participating in intensive efforts to locate the victims and injured, with approximately 180 rescue personnel participating.

Media reports also indicated that initial investigations suggested that the bridge had been bombed, but no concrete evidence was provided. Meanwhile, no official comment was issued by the Ukrainian side.

According to the railway company, the train was en route from Klimovo town to Moscow when it crashed into a collapsed bridge on a highway in the Vygonichsky district, about 100 km from the Ukrainian border.

Since the outbreak of the war three years ago, Russian regions bordering Ukraine, such as Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod, have witnessed repeated drone attacks and cross-border shelling, amid escalating security tensions. (QNA)