Updated to include deaths, more injuries.
Three people were killed and dozens of others were injured when a passenger train derailed in Russia’s Far North, law enforcement authorities said Thursday.
Nine passenger cars out of 14 overturned late Wednesday near the town of Inta in the republic of Komi, with over 200 people said to have been on board. The train was traveling from the Arctic city of Vorkuta to the southern port of Novorossiysk on the Black Sea coast.
Videos and images shared by state-run media showed several train cars strewn on the muddy ground near the railroad track, with one car partially submerged in a nearby river.
“The bodies of two people were found at the site of the derailment of passenger train No. 511 Vorkuta – Novorossiysk,” Russian Railways said early Thursday. “We offer our deep condolences to the family and friends.”
Police investigators later confirmed the death of a 16-year-old girl, bringing the overall toll to three people.
According to Russia’s Health Ministry, around 40 passengers were injured in the derailment. Seven were in serious condition, including a child.
Russian Railways said each of the families of those killed in the accident would be compensated over four million rubles ($47,000), while those who were hospitalized with injuries would each receive 500,000 rubles ($5,900).
Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said it had launched a criminal investigation into the derailment.
Investigators said the probable cause of the accident was heavy rainfall that eroded the ground beneath the tracks.
