Mystery unravels on Crimean Bridge: What really happened?

An emergency situation on the Crimean Bridge resulted in the death of two individuals from Russia’s Belgorod region, leaving their daughter injured.

The incident led to the suspension of traffic on the bridge. The initial cause of the emergency remains undisclosed, although reports from Ukraine-based media alleged hearing explosions.

The governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, reported on the Telegram messaging app about a video circulating on the internet showcasing a damaged car with Belgorod number plates. He mentioned the surviving daughter, who sustained moderate injuries, and the tragic loss of her parents.

Similarly, Sergey Aksyonov, the governor of Crimea, took to Telegram to notify the public about the emergency situation near the 145th pillar from the Krasnodar Territory, leading to a temporary halt in traffic on the bridge. He assured that law enforcement agencies and relevant services were at work to manage the situation.

Explosions reported on Russia’s Crimean Bridge: Traffic halted. Photo courtesy of Rosavtodor.ru/Wikimedia Commons.

Despite the bridge’s road on the Crimean side suffering damage, as confirmed by Russia’s Ministry of Transport, there is no confirmation regarding any harm to the bridge’s supporting pillars. Social media is flooded with unverified images showing damage to the bridge.

This incident brings back memories of the previous year’s powerful blast that damaged the bridge, an act that Russian President Vladimir Putin labelled a “terrorist attack” by Ukrainian security services. The repercussions included a series of retaliatory strikes ordered by Putin on Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kyiv. Ukraine, however, refuted these claims.

Russian officials traced back the cause of the previous explosion to a truck that blew up while crossing the bridge, causing three fatalities. The Crimean Bridge, also known as the Kerch Bridge or Kerch Strait Bridge, holds significant strategic value for Russia, serving as the sole direct connection between the transport network of Russia and the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Moscow from Ukraine in 2014.

Besides its strategic importance, the bridge also facilitates the supply of essential commodities like fuel and food to Crimea, a region that houses the port of Sevastopol, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet’s historic base.

Assurances of stocked supplies of fuel, food, and industrial goods have been provided by Elena Elekchyan, Crimea’s acting minister of industrial policy. The news also surfaced that the ferry service linking Crimea with Kuban in the Russian region of Krasnodar, has temporarily ceased operations.