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.
Several Twitter users shared video of traffic being halted at Kerch.
Another video from temporarily occupied Crimea. The Kerch bridge has been closed due to the "emergency". The Gray Zone claims that AFU hit the bridge pic.twitter.com/CsWSySkf74 July 17, 2023
Looks like the Kerch bridge was hit by a missile. pic.twitter.com/0IVJrKFmqO — ayden (@squatsons) July 17, 2023
Per Russian channels the traffic has been stopped on the Kerch bridge due to the emergency. Gray Zone claims that AFU hit the bridge pic.twitter.com/SaaqVtUAnF — Giorgi Revishvili (@revishvilig) July 17, 2023
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.
KazeNilrem on July 17th, 2023 at 03:13 UTC »
Essentially those on there are being routed to the land mass and not bridge. Which is a long ass drive. Although details are still coming, but I heard (and could be mistaken) two pillars damaged and other spans severely damaged.
We all knew this was coming. Still not the full destruction but as Ukraine inches closer to the bridge, the likelihood of its survival diminishes.
Smooth-Gear7742 on July 17th, 2023 at 03:06 UTC »
I work in the field of passenger transportation in the Crimea (intercity taxi), I am now watching working chats with clients from Russia who came to Crimea a few days ago on vacation in hysterics order a taxi for the return trip, to which the locals refuse to take them or offer to "make it to Kerch, and then walk themselves."
I haven't seen such a panic among visitors for a long time, it's funny. They arrived, but they can't leave anymore. Only through the north of Crimea, where the war is relatively close.
tehutika on July 17th, 2023 at 02:01 UTC »
Couldn’t have happened to a better bridge.