MOSCOW, July 22. /TASS/. Twenty three freight cars went off the rails in Russia’s Komi Republic on Monday, according to a report of the North-West Investigation Department of Russia’s Investigative Committee.

According to investigators, on July 22, at about 03:00 Moscow time, 23 freight cars carrying coal on the Vorkuta-Cherepovets freight train route went off the rails near the station of Kerki due to the erosion caused by a pipe-culvert defect.

The Syktyvkar Investigation Department of Transport initiated a criminal case on derailment.

"Upon derailment of 23 freight cars in the vicinity of the Kerki station of the Northern Railway of the Sosnogorsk District of the Komi Republic, a criminal case has been initiated on grounds of a crime under Part 1 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Violation of traffic safety"), according to the report.

As a result of the incident, transport infrastructure facilities were partially or completely destroyed. At the moment, the movement of trains on this stretch of track has been suspended, there are no injuries. Restoration is underway. The movement of trains on the Northern Railway has been limited until July 26.