Bomb may have caused Russian train wreck

MOSCOW, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- A bomb may have caused a Russian luxury express train to derail Friday evening, killing at least 25 people and injuring 87, officials said.

The Nevsky Express to St. Petersburg crashed two hours after leaving Moscow, the Novosti news agency reported. At least 25 passengers were missing.

Three cars left the tracks, and some witnesses reported seeing a crater under the train.

"There was a clap. The last two cars almost fell apart. I've seen such things only in movies," one passenger told Novosti.

A source told the news agency investigators were considering the possibility that a bomb was under the ninth car in the 14-car train.

The British newspaper The Guardian said an official described a crater about a yard across next to the track.

The train was carrying more than 600 passengers and 20 railway employees. It is operated by the Russian Railways, a government monopoly.

Officials said a power failure might also have caused the crash.

In 2007, 27 people were hurt in a terrorist attack on a train traveling between Moscow and St. Petersburg. In recent years, Chechen separatists have launched several terrorist attacks in Russia.