An explosion and fire erupted after a fuel-laden freight train derailed at Kochyetovka station in Michurinsk, Russia, on Tuesday (4 February), halting rail traffic and triggering a major emergency response, authorities said.
The incident occurred at 15:34 local time (12:34 GMT) when several wagons of a freight train carrying petrol and gas derailed on a siding at Kochyetovka-2 station, triggering explosions. The resulting fire eventually engulfed 11 petrol tankers and five gas tankers, according to Russian Railways (RZD) and regional officials.
Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said no civilian casualties had been confirmed, and regional authorities reported no threat to nearby residential areas or critical infrastructure.
However, media outlet Shot reported that the train driver sustained burns while attempting to extinguish the fire and was taken to hospital.
Officials have not publicly confirmed this claim.
Firefighters initially reported that five tankers were burning, but the blaze spread rapidly due to the nature of the fuel. By early evening, the fire covered around 1,000 square metres, emergency services said.
Rail and road traffic in the area was heavily disrupted. Train services through Kochyetovka station were suspended, delaying at least eight passenger trains, including services to Moscow and Saint Petersburg, RZD said.
Road access to the nearby settlements was also closed. However, later on Tuesday evening, RZD said passenger train traffic had resumed under a temporary scheme, with delayed trains routed through the station’s freight yard.
An operational centre was set up by RZD to manage the response, while environmental monitoring was introduced to prevent the spread of pollutants.
Russia’s Investigative Committee opened a criminal case citing violations of railway safety rules resulting in major damage. Prosecutors said the investigation was under their supervision.
While Russian authorities have not commented on the cause, Ukraine-linked Telegram channel Supernova+ claimed the derailment and fire was caused by a drone attack.
Officials have not confirmed this information.
After the blaze is fully extinguished, railway engineers said they will inspect the tracks for damage before repair work begins.
Four people aboard a U.S.-registered speedboat, flagged in Florida, were killed and six others wounded on Wednesday after the vessel entered Cuban ter...
Syria’s economy is showing clear signs of recovery, with economic activity accelerating in recent months, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said...
Chinese President Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz agreed on Wednesday in Beijing to strengthen economic cooperation while addressing t...
The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Wednesday (25 February) on more than 30 individuals, entities and "shadow fleet" vessels it said ena...
Georgia is facing intensifying diplomatic pressure as Western partners urge stronger alignment against Russia, while leaders in Tbilisi warn that furt...
Georgia is facing intensifying diplomatic pressure as Western partners urge stronger alignment against Russia, while leaders in Tbilisi warn that further steps could endanger national stability and sovereignty.
Russia has claimed its forces have taken control of a village in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv’s new Flamingo missiles successfully struck targets deep inside Russian territory, underscoring the continuing intensity of the conflict.
The Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation (SVR) on Tuesday (25 February) accused the United Kingdom and France of actively working to provide Ukraine with nuclear weapons. The allegations were swiftly rejected by both London and Paris.
Peace-making has a habit of creating new enemies - especially when it reduces someone else’s leverage. As Azerbaijan and Armenia move toward a settlement architecture that no longer depends on Moscow as the indispensable broker, pressure has not vanished; it has shifted shape.
The Taliban in Kabul has rejected Russian claims that more than 23,000 militants from around 20 international terror groups are currently operating within Afghanistan.
Four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the war is no longer defined by shock but by scale.
Seven people were killed after gunmen ambushed a police patrol in Kohat, a district in Pakistan’s north-west near the Afghan border, on Tuesday, in an attack that comes amid rising militant violence and heightened tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Four years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the war can be measured not only in lives and territory, but in money. In Part One, the war’s cost was measured in casualties and kilometres. In Part Two, it is measured in billions of dollars.
Thousands of people gathered across Europe and beyond over the weekend in solidarity with Ukraine, as the war with Russia entered its fifth year.
Four people aboard a U.S.-registered speedboat, flagged in Florida, were killed and six others wounded on Wednesday after the vessel entered Cuban territorial waters and fired on Cuban border patrol forces, Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior (MININT) reported.
The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Wednesday (25 February) on more than 30 individuals, entities and "shadow fleet" vessels it said enabled Iran's illicit petroleum sales, ballistic missiles and weapons production.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest State of the Union address set out a second-term agenda built on economic protectionism, military strength and a hard line on Iran, signalling a strategy that pairs diplomatic engagement with firm red lines, Assoc. Prof. Orkhan Valiyev told AnewZ Daybreak.
Switzerland said on Wednesday (25 February) it would make a one-off payment of 50,000 Swiss francs ($56,000) to each severely injured survivor and to the bereaved families of those killed in the New Year bar fire at the ski resort of Crans-Montana.
Russia has claimed its forces have taken control of a village in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv’s new Flamingo missiles successfully struck targets deep inside Russian territory, underscoring the continuing intensity of the conflict.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment