A Russian Shahed-type jet-powered drone struck the locomotive of a passenger train in the Odessa region. The driver and his assistant were killed, whilst the 340 passengers and other crew members were evacuated unharmed.
A Russian drone struck the locomotive of a passenger train in the Odessa region, killing the two members of the train’s driving crew, announced Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraine’s state-owned railway operator.
According to Oleksandr Pertskyi, chairman of the board of directors of Ukrzaliznytsia, the attack was carried out using a jet-powered Shahed drone.
“Unfortunately, I must convey the most tragic news directly: preliminary information indicates that the strike left our colleagues in the locomotive crew – the driver and his assistant – with no chance of survival,” said Perțovskîi.
The exact circumstances of the attack are still under investigation.
The train had been stopped to evacuate passengers
Shortly before the strike, Ukrzaliznytsia’s monitoring system had detected the aerial threat and an order had been issued to stop the train.
The train was heading towards a station where it was due to stop so that passengers could be evacuated to safety.
According to the head of Ukrzaliznytsia, however, the drone rapidly changed course, and the locomotive crew did not have enough time to bring the train to a complete halt and take cover.
The two railway workers continued to drive the train in an attempt to ensure the safe evacuation of the passengers.
“Our colleagues carried out their duties right up to the last moment and did everything they could to protect the people in their care,” said the Ukrainian railway company.
The 340 passengers escaped unharmed
There were 340 passengers on the train, who were evacuated to a safe area. No passengers or other members of the train crew were injured.
The evacuation operation involved regional and local authorities in Odessa, the military administration in Berezivka, the National Police and the Ukrainian emergency services.
21 buses were mobilised to transport the passengers, who were to be taken to Odessa.
Ukrzaliznytsia states that an investigation into the circumstances of the attack is ongoing.
Attacks on the Ukrainian railway network have been a recurring occurrence in recent months
The Ukrainian rail network has been repeatedly targeted by drone attacks and missiles.
In April, for example, around 500 passengers on a regional train were evacuated as a precaution in the Dnipropetrovsk region after a drone threat was detected. On that occasion, the train crews managed to take shelter before the attack.
In June, fragments of a Shahed drone shot down above Sumy railway station fell onto a passenger train and caused a fire in one of the railcars. Passengers and staff were already in a shelter and were not injured.
Share on:
