A bridge overpass collapsed in the Bryansk region as a Moscow-bound train was passing underneath

A bridge collapsed onto a passenger train in Russia's western Bryansk region on Sunday, killing three people and injuring 28 others, emergency services have said.

According to the Moscow Railway, a branch of Russian Railways (RZD), the collapse might have happened due to "illegal interference with transport operations." The newspaper Izvestia cited regional health officials as saying that the bridge was brought down by an explosion.

The cause of the collapse remains unknown.

According to a source from RT, the number of injured in the Bryansk region may exceed 40 people. Bryansk Governor Alexander Bogomaz has not yet disclosed the number of victims, saying that "everything necessary is being done to provide assistance" to them.  

Videos circulating in Telegram show a crushed train carriage with passengers being evacuated through shattered windows, and emergency services responding at the scene. The collapse also reportedly affected vehicles on the bridge, which fell onto the train below.

Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations (MChS) reported that fire and rescue units are actively working at the site of the bridge collapse. "All necessary assistance is being provided to the victims. Additional MChS forces, emergency rescue equipment, and lighting towers for nighttime operations have been deployed to the area," the ministry noted in an official statement. 

Just days earlier, a freight train in Russia's border Belgorod region, ran over an explosive device planted under the tracks, causing a powerful blast. According to the governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, the explosion damaged the railway's contact network but caused no casualties.