A fuel train exploded on Sunday on Georgia's main east-west rail line and police said it appeared to have hit a landmine. Officials said the train was on the main track of the line linking eastern and western Georgia, a vital trade route for oil exports from Azerbaijan to European markets. The extent of the damage was not immediately clear.
A Reuters correspondent saw huge plumes of black smoke pouring from the wreckage of the train in the village of Skra, 5 km (3 miles) west of Gori. Georgian Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili told Reuters: "According to very preliminary information, a train carrying fuel exploded on the railway, which we think was mined."