Number of injured people in collision of trains near Russia's Murmansk rises to 27

The number of injured people in the collision of freight and passenger trains in the Kandalaksha district of Russia's Murmansk Region has increased to 27 people, including five children, Dmitry Panychev, a deputy governor of the Murmansk Region and the regional health minister, told TASS, Report informs.

"As of now, we have 27 injured people, among them 22 adults and five children," he said. "Unfortunately, we also have one lethal case. Seventeen people were rushed to central district hospitals by ambulance crews."

Panychev added that five people, including two 14-year teenagers, requested medical assistance at local hospitals on their own, while two more people declined hospitalization.

The collision involved a freight train and a passenger train, which was en route from Murmansk to St. Petersburg. According to Russian Railways, there were 326 passengers on board the passenger train. The accident derailed 19 train cars, including 15 freight cars. A criminal investigation has been opened into a violation of safety rules.