Sochi is a popular Russian resort area on the Black Sea. It will be the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics. A Russian passenger train traveling from Siberia to Sochi derailed Sunday, injuring more than 70 passengers.
The accident happened about 65 miles south of the southern city of Rostov-on-Don. Oleg Fedyura of the Emergencies Ministry said the engine and five passenger cars derailed shortly before 5 p.m. (1300 GMT; 1 p.m. EST) Sunday as the train approached the Krylovskaya station.
Fedyura said the rails were affected by the heat, and the train’s engineer saved lives by applying the emergency brake.
Sochi is located near the Caucasus Mountains. According to the 2010 Census, the city had a permanent population of 343,334; up from 328,809 recorded in the 2002 Census, making it Russia’s largest resort city.
Alfred James reporting
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