Major fire breaks out after explosion on bridge linking Russia and Crimea collapse, 3 dead

A large fire broke out after an explosion occurred on Saturday morning on a road-and-rail bridge in Kerch Strait connecting the Crimean Peninsula in southern Ukraine with the southern part of Russia.

The blast happened at around 6 am local time on Saturday, sparking a fire on several wagons of a train on the adjacent railway bridge after a truck exploded, according to the Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee.

Kremlin confirmed three deaths

Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin had instructed his government to set up a task force to investigate the cause of the fire.

Images shared on social media purported to show fire and damage to the bridge, with one section in the water.

Ukrainian officials have provoked the ire of Russia by joking about the blast, without directly claiming responsibility.

The Russian Anti-Terrorism Committee has not said what it thought was behind the blast, though Moscow-backed authorities in Crimea have alluded to Ukrainian sabotage.

The cause of the blast is unconfirmed. Some have claimed that it was a car bomb, while others say it could have been an attack from below.

The bridge completed four years ago is regarded by Russia as one of the most strategically important infrastructure projects in Crimea but it has now threatened Russia’s presence in the annexed territory of Ukraine.

In 2019, Putin inaugurated the huge railway bridge — the longest in Europe — saying it “proved” Russia’s ability to carry out large-scale projects.