Traffic at Kerch Bridge halted amid ‘explosion’

Traffic was stopped at the Crimean Bridge linking the Crimean peninsula to the Russian region of Krasnodar due to “an emergency” situation, according to Russia-installed Governor Sergei Aksyonov on the Telegram messaging app early on Monday, Reuters reported.

Aksyonov stated that the emergency incident took place on the 145th pillar of the bridge, situated in the Krasnodar territory.

“Law enforcement agencies and all responsible services are working. I spoke with the Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Vitaly Gennadyevich Savelyev, measures are being taken to restore the situation. We keep in touch with colleagues from Krasnodar region,” Aksyonov wrote.

Aksyonov has called on residents of the region and tourists to use an alternative land route through new regions of Russia instead of the Crimean bridge, Tass reported.

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“Given the current situation, I ask residents and guests of the peninsula to refrain from traveling through the Crimean bridge and, for security reasons, choose an alternative land route through new regions,” the statement says.

No additional information was given.

Several Twitter users shared video of traffic being halted at Kerch.

The RBC-Ukraine news agency reported that explosions were heard on the bridge.

This incident comes after the same bridge was targeted earlier in the war by Ukrainian partisans on 8th October 2022, when a fire broke out following an explosion, leading to the collapse of two vehicular spans and significant damage to the railway bridge.

The latest developments are still unfolding, and further updates are awaited as the situation remains highly fluid.