The world-famous Trans-Siberian railway has been forced to temporarily cease operations after a torrential downpour caused a bridge to completely collapse under the heavy weight of flooding in the far east of the country.
The local Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that the bridge, located in the country’s Far East, fell down after heavy rain early on Friday morning. Luckily, there were no casualties.
The Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of lines that connect European Russia to its Far East. Its terminus is in Vladivostok, near the border with North Korea. The railway was built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and nowadays is a popular tourist route. The route is also linked to other lines heading to destinations in Asia, including Mongolia.
The collapsed bridge is located near the village of Nizhnyaya Kuenga, in the Zabaikalsky region, close to Russia’s border with China. Following the incident, the East Siberian transport prosecutor’s office revealed it would be starting an investigation to determine how the bridge became unsafe.
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