Explosions and fires were reported on Saturday in the middle of the Kerch Bridge, which connects Crimea and Russia, according to multiple reports.
Authorities temporarily closed the bridge to traffic after a fuel tank caught fire, according to Russian state news agency RIA. Ukrainian media reported that an explosion was heard in the surrounding area around 6 a.m. local time, according to Reuters.
“A fuel tank is on fire in one section of the Crimean bridge,” the RIA state news agency said without giving details.
Photos of the road and rail bridge on social media show parts of the bridge being destroyed and submerged in the water below. Some videos show large flames and columns of black smoke.
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The agency added: “The delivery arch is undamaged.”
Reports of the fire came hours after Russia shelled the city of Kharkov in eastern Ukraine, destroying several buildings and sending towering columns of smoke into the sky.
Authorities did not indicate casualties.
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Kerch Bridge was built after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. The bridge officially opened in 2018 to connect Crimea with Russia.