MOSCOW, July 18. /ITAR-TASS/. All the victims of the Moscow metro crash except two citizens of China have been identified. Moscow’s Public Healthcare Department told ITAR-TASS that two people remain formally unidentified: documents were found with them, but since their relatives haven’t arrived for identification, their bodies will be kept in the mortuary.

Bodies of 16 victims have been already handed over to their relatives. On Saturday, relatives will come for the bodies of another four casualties.

 

The tragedy in Moscow subway

July 15, a major accident occurred in Moscow’s subway. In the rush hour, three train cars derailed in the tunnel between the Park Pobedy and Slavyanskiy Bulvar stations.

After the accident, the traffic on the line that links the city’s downtown with Krylatskoye, Strogino and Mitino districts was suspended. Part of the passengers managed to get out by themselves and get to the stations. However, the doors in one of the cars turned out to be blocked, and rescuers opened them nearly an hour after.

Pictures taken by the eyewitnesses in the tunnel soon after the accident and posted in social networks showed that the derailed cars were heavily deformed.

22 people died and about 200 were injured as a result of the train crash.

 

Investigation and first suspects

July 16, the Investigative Committee reported about the detention of first suspects involved in the crash.

These were two maintenance foremen — Valery Bashatov and his assistant Yuri Gordov.

According to Vladimir Markin, spokesperson for the Investigative Committee, the complicity of these two specialists in the accident is proved by evidence.

The investigation believes they secured the switch mechanism with a 3mm wire instead of a special locking device. Its break is preliminarily believed to be the cause of the tragedy. July 17, both road masters were arrested.

Within the criminal case filed over the crash, searches have been conducted in offices of the Moscow subway enterprise and Ingeokom that engages in building the tunnel of the new subway line parallel to the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line.

Markin noted that the circle of suspects would be expanding.