The Nevsky Express hurtled off the rails near Veliky Novgorod on the country's busiest rail line Monday evening following a suspected terrorist bombing. Carriages were overturned and 60 people were injured, with over 30 hospitalized. A two-meter (six-foot) crater was left in the track.
The amount includes repairs of structural damages, expenses for food catering and emergency medical assistance for passengers and compensation for at least 2,500 returned tickets, the official said.
The blast occurred just before a railway bridge over a road, but the train, traveling at around 190 kilometers per hour (118 mph), had sufficient momentum to make it over the bridge before running into the embankment, avoiding potentially massive fatalities.
Investigators said the bomb that derailed the train had a yield of three kilograms (about seven pounds) of TNT equivalent, and identikits were compiled Tuesday of two people seen near the tracks shortly before the explosion.
Several versions of the attack were being considered, including the involvement of Chechen militants, Russian ultra-nationalists, or simply hooliganism, but no suspects have been charged so far.
Meanwhile, the Russian Railways said that passengers injured in the train crash would receive compensation from a travel insurer totaling up to $10,000 each.
"Overall, 60 people asked for medical assistance [after the accident]," said Sergei Makarov, a Russian Railways health official. "At present, 21 people remain hospitalized in satisfactory condition and most of them will be released in a couple of weeks."
The official said the majority of the victims had been diagnosed with minor contusions and concussions, and only a few received serious injuries, including broken bones and damaged spinal cords.
