RUSSIAN Railways has halted passenger and cargo rail transport between the northern port of Murmansk and the rest of Russia after the collapse of the only railway bridge linking the two, the national rail company said yesterday.

The foundations of the bridge across the river Kola were washed away by rapidly melting snow and strong flows of water Saturday, and the bridge gave way Monday, the Emergencies Ministry said.

“This route is the only one, so a temporary ban has been imposed on the loading of all goods to the Murmansk transport hub after the damage to the bridge,” the company said.

Russian Railways did not say how long the ban would be in place. The Kommersant newspaper cited an unnamed source saying it will take months to repair the bridge.(SD-Agencies)