Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin declared Wednesday a day of mourning for the 22 people killed in a devastating metro crash the day before, as Muscovites gathered to lay flowers outside a subway station near the site of the accident.
Flags were flying at half mast in the capital, and Sobyanin asked broadcasters to cancel entertainment programs throughout the day of mourning, which is being held to "express grief for the dead and condolences to their families," news agency Interfax reported.
Sobyanin has also ordered his city government to conduct an additional investigation into the crash that will be carried out independently of the metro authorities, his spokeswoman Gulnara Penkova said, Interfax reported.
The crash on Tuesday, which saw saw three cars derail between the western Slavyansky Bulvar and Park Pobedy metro stations, killed 22 people, including six foreigners — two Chinese nationals, two citizens of Tajikistan, a woman from Kyrgyzstan and a woman from Moldova, Interfax reported, citing Moscow emergency services.
More than 215 other people were injured in the crash, including 56 people who were in serious or "extremely serious" condition, Interfax reported.
While Park Pobedy metro station remained closed and blocked off by a police cordon on Wednesday morning, Muscovites gathered to place flowers and light candles at a flower bed near the entrance to the station, Interfax reported.
See also:
Metro Officials Dismissed Warnings in Weeks Before Deadly Crash
At Least 21 Killed in Moscow Metro Rush-Hour Crash
See our Photo Gallery:
Moscow Mourns Victims of Fatal Metro Crash
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