A broken switch was confirmed as one of the main causes of the Moscow metro crash that killed 23 people and left more than 200 injured, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin told reporters on Wednesday.
““All other possible causes of the crash will be checked and investigated very thoroughly," the mayor said.
An engine driver who works in the metro told ITAR-TASS that the railway switch mechanism was installed contrary to technical requirements.
“Apparently, this railway switch was not yet connected to the centralized system, therefore, according to the traffic schedule, the engineer was driving the train at a speed of 65-70 kmph,” the source said. Thus, the first car of the train hit a side track, derailed and rammed into the end face of the wall between two tunnels.