A Russian drone struck the locomotive of a passenger train in Ukraine’s Odesa region on Thursday, killing the driver and his assistant.
Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, chairman of the Ukrainian Railways board, said a monitoring team detected the drone threat and ordered the train to stop as it approached a station where passengers could be evacuated safely, RBC Ukraine reported.
However, the sudden maneuver of the jet-powered Shahed drone reportedly left the locomotive crew with insufficient time to stop the train and evacuate.
“Unfortunately, I have to report the worst news firsthand: according to preliminary information, this strike left no chance for our locomotive crew — the driver and his assistant,” Pertsovskyi said.
He praised the two railway workers, saying they died while attempting to stop the train and protect the passengers.
A total of 340 people were aboard the train. All passengers and other crew members were evacuated safely, and no passengers were reported injured.
Buses were arranged to transport the passengers onward to Odesa.
The attack is the latest in a series of Russian strikes affecting Ukraine’s railway network.
On March 14, a Russian drone struck a passenger train traveling between Smorodyne and Vorozhba in the Sumy region. Passengers were evacuated in time, and no casualties were reported.
On Aug. 8, Russian drones struck the locomotive of a Sumy-Kyiv train after passengers had already been evacuated. One carriage was damaged.
Ukrainian Railways has introduced additional safety stops in response to continued attacks on trains and railway infrastructure.