At least two people from Russia’s Belgorod region were killed during the “emergency” situation on the Crimean bridge on Monday (July 17). The region’s governor has said on Telegram messaging app that a mother and father died and their daughter was injured.
Traffic was halted on Russia’s Crimean Bridge, with some Ukraine-based media claiming that explosions were heard.
Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote, “This morning we all started with information about the emergency that happened on the Crimean bridge. We all saw a video on the internet of a damaged car with Belgorod number plates.”
“The girl was injured, moderately injured … The hardest thing is that her parents died, dad and mom,” Gladkov added.
Previously, Crimea governor Sergey Aksyonov wrote on Telegram: “Traffic was stopped on the Crimean bridge: an emergency occurred in the area of the 145th pillar from the Krasnodar Territory.”
He added, “Law enforcement agencies and all relevant services are working… measures are being taken to handle the situation.”
Russia’s TASS news agency cited a regional official as saying that the Crimean authorities “will provide all the necessary support to tourists in connection with the stopping of traffic on the Crimean bridge”.
Russia’s Ministry of Transport confirmed that the road on the Crimean side of the bridge has been damaged. However, it is not confirmed whether or not the bridge’s supporting pillars have been damaged.
Unverified images have been circulating on social media. The pictures show the damage done to the bridge.
Disclaimer: WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of photos and videos shared on social media.
Last year’s attack
The bridge was damaged in a powerful blast last October, with Russian President Vladimir Putin branding it as a “terrorist attack” orchestrated by Ukrainian security services.
In the aftermath, Putin ordered a wave of retaliatory strikes on Ukrainian cities including the capital Kyiv. But Ukraine has denied being behind the attack.
Russian officials had said that the explosion was caused by a truck that blew up while crossing the bridge, killing three people.
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Why is Crimean Bridge important?
Crimea Bridge (also known as the Kerch Bridge or Kerch Strait Bridge) is very crucial for Russia as it is the only direct link between the transport network of Russia and the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
The bridge is also crucial for the supply of fuel, food and other products to Crimea, where the port of Sevastopol is the historic home base of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
Russian news agency Tass has reported citing Elena Elekchyan, acting minister of industrial policy in Crimea that the region has stockpiles of fuel, food and industrial goods.
The news agency also mentioned that a ferry service linking Crimea with Kuban, in the Russian region of Krasnodar, has also been halted.
Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
(With inputs from agencies)
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