Nearly half of a Russian freight train's 65 cisterns carrying natural gas through the Kirov region exploded around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday in a derailment that prompted the evacuation of nearly 700 nearby residents, authorities said.
Thirty-two of the gas condensate-laden cisterns erupted into a blaze that took more than 300 rescue workers to extinguish, the Emergency Situations Ministry said in a statement.
The derailment was likely caused by faulty wiring, the Investigative Committee said, adding that an investigation is under way.
Miraculously, no injuries have been reported, Governor Nikita Belykh wrote on Twitter.
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