In a horrifying incident early Wednesday morning, June 5, 2024, a speeding tram in Kemerovo, Russia lost control due to brake failure, resulting in more than 100 injuries and at least one fatality. The accident occurred at 7:35 a.m. on the busy Logovaya Highway, as the tram’s brakes reportedly failed, causing it to pick up dangerous speed and fling passengers from its broken doors.
The tram, driven by 23-year-old Alexandra Marieva, was traveling on route No. 10 when it lost control. Route No. 10 is one of the tram lines serving Kemerovo, a mining city located approximately 1,865 miles east of Moscow in western Siberia. As the tram gained speed, it crashed into another tram, worsening the situation. Footage captured the tram taking a sharp turn at high speed, causing its doors to be torn off and passengers to be thrown onto the road. Two passengers were flung approximately 50 feet onto the highway, where drivers quickly stopped to avoid hitting them.
One eyewitness, Natalya, a passenger in the stationary tram, described the terrifying moment: “The runaway tram was approaching downhill at a terrifying speed. The people on the other tram suffered the most. We had to wait 40 minutes for an ambulance.”
Seven children were among the injured, with at least three passengers in serious condition. The tram driver, Marieva, sustained multiple fractures and a head wound. Before undergoing emergency surgery, she informed her parents that the brakes had failed. Despite her attempts to use the emergency brake and cut the electric power supply, the tram continued to race out of control.
The AKSM-60102 tram, manufactured in Belarus 16 years ago, had undergone complete maintenance on June 2, yet this catastrophic failure still occurred.
This event has drawn attention to the aging infrastructure of Kemerovo’s public transportation system. The mayor of Kemerovo, Dmitry Anisimov, acknowledged that the trams are outdated, some up to 40 years old. The incident has sparked public outrage, with citizens questioning the government’s spending priorities. One commenter remarked, “Why is the Russian government spending a fortune on the war in Ukraine when our public services are so unsafe?”
Authorities have opened a criminal case into the crash. Transport in the area was paralyzed following the incident, highlighting the dire need for updated safety regulations and infrastructure improvements.