Six North Korean nationals were killed, and another was seriously injured when a train struck their van at a railway crossing in Russia’s Far East, according to Russian media reports citing sources familiar with the case.
The crash occurred Sunday in the Jewish Autonomous Region after the van reportedly ignored a stop signal and entered a railway crossing.
Russia’s state-run RIA Novosti news agency identified all seven victims as North Korean nationals, citing law enforcement sources. It was not immediately clear whether the crash victims were workers. Local authorities have also launched a probe into the crash.
Authorities and the regional government said those in the van were foreigners but did not disclose their nationality.
NK News, an outlet covering North Korea, reported that Russian authorities often withhold such details amid increased scrutiny of illegal foreign labor.
The crash came months after a bus carrying 30 people believed to be North Korean citizens crashed in western Russia, reportedly on its way to Tatarstan. Some Russian media reports identified the passengers as workers, while others described them as “tourists,” despite North Korea’s tight restrictions on overseas travel.
Citing a report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, the outlet said about 25,000 North Koreans were employed at a factory in Tatarstan’s Alabuga Special Economic Zone that produces Geran-2 drones for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
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