2 died in emergency on Crimea-Russia bridge – Russian governor

The Kerch bridge which linked Russia to the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula experienced an “emergency’’ temporarily stopping traffic, according to Russian media sources on Monday morning.

On social media networks there were reports of an explosion on the bridge in the early hours of Monday morning, but the authorities did not give any further details.

Belgorod Oblast Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov on Telegram, cited by state news agency TASS.

According to a video message those two persons (man and woman) from the Belgorod region in Russia died in their car during the incident.

Their daughter was reportedly injured.

The head of occupied Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, announced on Telegram early on Monday that traffic was stopped in the area of the bridge’s 145th support pier because of the emergency.

Aksyonov said motorists should take an alternative land route through the Russian-occupied regions in southern Ukraine.

Russia later resumed rail traffic over the bridge, with a delay of around five hours, authorities said.

Car traffic over the 19-kilometre-long structure, however, remained suspended.

Kiev has announced its intention to take back Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014 in violation of international law.

The Kerch bridge was severely damaged in an explosion in October 2022, but was repaired.

Ukrainian intelligence have admitted involvement in that explosion.

In spite of the tense situation and long security controls, Russian holidaymakers were flocking to Crimea, which can only be reached by train or car.