MOSCOW

A freight train carrying fuel derailed Wednesday near the Kochetovka-2 railway station in Russia’s Tambov region, causing a powerful explosion and fire involving 16 tank cars.

"According to updated information at the moment, as a result of the incident at the Kochetovka station in Michurinsk, 11 tank cars with gasoline and 5 with gas caught fire. Two firefighting trains and 25 units of equipment are working at the scene," Tambov Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov wrote on his Telegram channel.

Pervyshov did not specify the cause of the accident. He said that once the fire is extinguished, the railway tracks will be inspected for damage, after which repair crews will begin restoration work.

Earlier, the regional office of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said the fire had been localized over an area of 1,000 square meters.

Rail traffic in Michurinsk has been restored, according to Deputy Governor Yevgeny Zimenko.