Railway traffic in Russia's central Kostroma Region was severely affected on Thursday due to a collision between a car and a freight train collided in which two people died, a local official said.
The accident occurred when a Lada Kalina carrying three passengers drove through an unstaffed railroad crossing on a red light and was hit by the goods train. An elderly woman and her granddaughter were killed on the spot. The 59-year-old man driving the car was severely injured.
Six rail carriages carrying methanol were derailed, sparking a fire that firefighters took more than two hours to get under control. Several hours later the fire still had not been completely extinguished. Emergencies ministry spokeswoman Svetlana Dergunova said 24 people living near the accident site were evacuated due to fears of methanol poisoning.
Russian Railways, the state-controlled rail monopoly, canceled several trains over the accident, saying it would lay on buses for the passengers and provide them with food and water.
KURSK, May 26 (RIA Novosti)
