Russian President Vladimir Putin has tightened security for Kerch Bridge and energy infrastructure near Crimea, reported news agency Associated Press, adding that the security service has been put in charge of the same. The development comes just a day after a fire sparked by a truck bomb broke out on the parallel road and rail bridge linking Crimea to Russia. Moscow had annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
As per a report by the news agency, Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee informed that the truck bomb caused seven railway cars carrying fuel to catch fire, resulting in a “partial collapse of two sections of the bridge.”
“Today at 6:07 am (0307 GMT) on the road traffic side of the Crimean bridge … a car bomb exploded, setting fire to seven oil tankers being carried by rail to Crimea,” Russia’s national anti-terrorism committee said as quoted by Russian news agencies cited by news agency AFP.
Putin authorised the Russian Federal Security Service to organise and coordinate measures to effectively protect these facilities, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the decree published on Saturday by the Kremlin, reported news agency IANS.
Traffic has reopened to cars and buses with a full inspection procedure needed, while trucks are still required to cross the Kerch Strait by ferry, Crimea’s head Sergei Aksyonov said, stated the IANS report.
Meanwhile, the railway service on the bridge has been fully restored and all scheduled trains, both for passengers and freight, will be able to cross the viaduct, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said on late Saturday.
The 19-kilometre long rail-road bridge over the Kerch Strait was constructed on the orders of Putin and was inaugurated in 2018.