Six people were killed in Russia Tuesday when a freight train collided with a passenger train and ripped the side of one of the passenger carriages. 

Russia's Emergencies Ministry said 45 people who were injured, 15 of them seriously, which raised fears that the death toll may still rise.

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According to Nina Suslonova, Moscow's regional health minister, majority of those injured in the train collision were Moldovan citizens.

One cameraman from Reuters was on the scene when the collision happened. He said that one green carriage lost all of its windows and its side gone.

In a Russian television footage, passengers who appeared dazed were shown alighting the train just to get to safety.

Reports said that the train was en route to Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, by way of Moscow. The collision took place at Naro Fominsk, a town 34 miles of Moscow, around 12:30 p.m.

As of this writing, the cause of the accident remains unknown. However, reports said that Russian authorities have opened a criminal investigation that would look into the incident.

RIA news agency, a state-run news outlet, was able to interview one of the drivers of the passenger train. The driver said they tried to use an emergency brake, but their vision of what's ahead was blurred because there were plenty of dusts.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed his condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin when the two met in Shanghai, China. The Russian president said that there will be a thorough investigation and the families of the victims will be aided.

Reports said that railroad accidents are relatively rare in Russia, but critics argued that incidents like these  reflect a declining transportation infrastructure of the country.

TagsAccidents, train accidents, collision, Railroad accidents, Russia, casualties