MOSCOW, May 20 (RIA Novosti) – Eighteen people are in grave condition following a train derailment and collision near Moscow, Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets said Tuesday.
"As of now, 30 people were injured, 25 of them were sent to the hospitals, unfortunately, five people died. All of the injured, that’s 25 people, have been to the hospitals, medical aid is administered, and 18 people are in grave condition," Golodets told reporters.
The deputy prime minister clarified that the victims were transported to several hospitals for surgery. "All medical aid has been administered to the full extent: drugs, medicines, and doctors [are doing their job],” Golodets said.
Moldovan Deputy Transport Minister Vladimir Chebotar earlier told RIA Novosti that, according to preliminary data, the train collision near Moscow killed nine people.
The collision took place at the railroad line between Naro-Fominsk and Bekasovo in Moscow region earlier on Tuesday.
Nine emergency teams and three medical helicopters, along with 250 responders, were sent to help the injured at the accident site.
The train service was cut off at platforms 1 and 2. Additional busses will carry some passengers from the accident scene.
A broken rail was the cause of the collision of the two trains, the Moscow Transport Department told regional web portal V Podmoskovye.
