Moscow, Dec 19 (IANS): A collision between a passenger train and a freight train in the Murmansk region in northwestern Russia has claimed two lives, Governor Andrei Chibis said Thursday via his Telegram channel, with latest information showing 27 people were injured.
One passengers died in hospital, and the other died while being transported to a hospital, Chibis said in a video message.
The incident occurred at 4:15 pm local time (1315 GMT) Wednesday when the passenger train, en route from Murmansk to Saint Petersburg, collided with freight train wagons at Knyazhaya station.
The passenger train was carrying 326 people at the time of the collision, Xinhua news agency reported.
Initial reports indicated that at least 10 people were injured. However, updated information showed that 27 people, including five children, sustained injuries.
"The top priority is providing medical assistance to all those injured. Doctors are currently fighting to save the lives of several passengers," Chibis said.
Meanwhile, Russia's Tass news reported that the condition of 10 people, including three children, injured in the train collision remains serious.
"According to operational data, 14 victims of the railway accident, including three children, are being treated in hospitals in the Murmansk region. Doctors assess the condition of 10 patients, including three children, as serious. Two victims, unfortunately, died," said Russian Minister of Health Alexei Kuznetsov.
Kuznetsov added that four people are in moderate condition. "11 people, including two children, received outpatient medical care. The victims are receiving all necessary care in full," the minister's assistant noted.
Meanwhile, the Russian Railways (RZD) continues work to restore train traffic through the Knyazhaya station in the Murmansk region after the train collision.
"In the conditions of the polar night and at a temperature of minus 24 degrees, we continue work to restore train traffic through the Knyazhaya station in the Murmansk region. We have already completed the removal of damaged passenger and freight train cars beyond the track clearance and have begun restoring the damaged infrastructure," the authorities said in a statement.
Russian Railways added that wagons with crushed stone and a crane-laying machine with a new track grid and switches arrived at the station. Once the track laying is complete, Russian Railways will install the contact network.
"There are four recovery trains, 271 people, and four units of heavy equipment working on site. We are doing everything possible to open traffic on one track in the next few hours," Tass quoted the holding as saying.