Derailed train cars in Kirov region do not present environmental threat - minister
MOSCOW. Feb 5 (Interfax) - The railroad accident in the Kirov region does not have environmental implications, yet traffic schedules of 13 passenger trains have been adjusted, Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said.
"There is no environmental threat. About 400 people were evacuated from nearby houses and a bakery," Sokolov said at a Russian government meeting.
Traffic schedules of 13 passenger trains were adjusted and 200 square meters of the railroad track were seriously damaged.
Thirty-two train cars carrying gas condensate came off the rails at 4:45 a.m. and some of them caught fire.
"A staff led by the governor was set up on site, and a separate staff is operating in Moscow. The fire has been confined," the minister said, adding that only one tank car was ablaze.
In Sokolov's words, the passenger trains will be several hours late. "The passengers have been provided with necessities," the minister assured the government.
