Russia investigates train derailment

UGLOVKA, Russia — Rescue workers sorted through the wreckage of a high-speed Russian train to search for more victims Saturday while investigators considered whether the derailment that killed at least 26 people was caused by a bomb on the tracks.

The Nevsky Express, an upscale line popular with Russian business executives and government officials, was carrying hundreds of passengers from Moscow to the northern city of St. Petersburg when its last three carriages went off the rails Friday night.

Authorities said Saturday they have opened a terrorism criminal inquiry. Police and prosecutors swarmed over the disaster site and restricted access to what was reported to be a possible bomb crater.

Witnesses told Channel One state television a bomb blast may have been the cause — which, if true, would make it Russia's deadliest terrorist strike outside the volatile North Caucasus region in years.

"It was immensely scary. I think it was an act of terrorism because there was a bang," said passenger Vitaly Rafikov. He was unhurt in the accident and helped with the rescue, hauling victims from the wreckage and lighting fires for warmth.

Reports on the death toll varied.

Health Minister Tatyana Golikova said at least 26 people were killed, 18 were missing and nearly 100 were injured and hospitalized in the derailment. The Prosecutor General's office said the death toll had risen to 30, with 60 others in the hospital.

President Dmitry Medvedev called for calm, saying "we need there to be no chaos, because the situation is tense as it is."

The 14-carriage train had been carrying more than 600 passengers and 20 railway personnel when the last three cars left the tracks near the border of the Novgorod and Tver provinces. The rural area is 250 miles northwest of Moscow and 150 miles southeast of St. Petersburg.

Passenger Igor Pechnikov described being in the second of the three derailed cars.

"A trembling began, and the carriage jolted violently to the left. I flew through half of the carriage," he said.

At the site Saturday, two huge cranes lifted up pieces of wreckage while workers searched for the missing. A battered railway carriage lay on its side across the tracks, while baggage and metal debris were scattered in the mud. Emergency workers wrapped up in blankets and huddled around fires as a light rain started to fall.

Terrorism has been a major concern in Russia since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, as Chechen rebels have clashed with government forces in two wars and Islamist separatists continue to target law enforcement officials.