At least nine dead in Russian train derailment

AT least nine people were killed and 130 were injured when a passenger train derailed between Moscow and St Petersburg late yesterday, authorities said.

The federal investigative committee said the three rear cars of an express train from Moscow to St Petersburg went off the tracks in Novgorod province.

A spokesman for state-run Russian Railways, Dmitry Pertsev, said four cars derailed and there were injuries.

An unidentified regional emergency official said an unknown number of people were killed, state-run RIA Novosti reported.

Interfax cited an unidentified law enforcement official as saying there were deaths and that at least 25 people were injured.

Pertsev said the cause of the derailment was not known.

Russian news agencies cited unidentified officials as saying a small crater was found at the site of the wreck, sparking speculation that it could have been caused by a bomb.

A bomb blast on the same line in 2007 derailed a passenger train and injured 27 people.

The line between Russia’s capital and its second city is heavily travelled and trains are often crowded.

Russian news agencies reported that some injured passengers were being taken by train to the next large station up the line and were to be treated at hospitals in the area, with some being taken to St Petersburg for medical attention.