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Death toll rises to 20 in Moscow metro crash — EMERCOM

Investigators are considering several possible causes of the train derailment in the Moscow metro

MOSCOW, July 15. /ITAR-TASS/. The death toll rises to 20 people in the Moscow metro crash, Russian Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov said.

As many as 129 people injured in a train crashed in Moscow metro are taken to Moscow hospitals, spokesman of Health Ministry Oleg Salagai said.

“Forty-two from 129 injured people are in heavy condition,” he said live on television news channel Rossiya 24.

Moscow's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that a day of mourning would be declared on Wednesday, July 16, in memory of the metro crash victims. "In view of the tragedy's scale, a day of mourning is declared in Moscow tomorrow," he said. Sobyanin stated that those guilty of the metro train crash would face criminal responsibility and be fired. "People guilty of the tragedy will face not only dismissal, but criminal proceedings as well," he noted. According to Sobyanin, it will take between 1.5 and 2 days to restore the traffic on the blue line of the Moscow metro, where the accident occurred. "Unfortunately, it will be impossible to restore it quickly. According to preliminary estimates, this will take a day and a half or two days."

The Russian Emergencies Ministry said that some 1,150 people were evacuated from the tunnel between the Park Pobedy and Slavyansky Bulvar metro stations. The search and rescue works continue on the site. Moscow’s Deputy Mayor Pyotr Biryukov said that it will take around 24 hours to eliminate the damage caused by the accident. Some 129 people injured in the Moscow metro train crash have been hospitalized, including 42 people in a grave condition, the Health Ministry said.