The World - News from Jan. 17, 1986

The trans-Siberian railway stopped operations for the first time in 15 years when a train carrying petroleum hit a log, derailed and exploded, the Soviet government newspaper Izvestia reported. It said the 53-car train derailed on a bridge in the Chita region of eastern Siberia, causing $1.1 million worth of damage to the train, the bridge and nearby power lines. The newspaper did not say if any passengers, crew or rescue workers were injured, or when the railway was shut down.