Citing 'emergency' situation the traffic on the Crimean bridge was stopped by the Russian officials on Monday. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports of explosion also came in from the locals nearby.
However, the officials have not so far officially stated the reason for the closure of the bridge.
Reportedly, two people were killed and another wounded, Russian news outlet Baza reported.
Sergei Aksyonov, the head of the Russian administration in Crimea, said in Telegram that the emergency occurred in the area of the 145th support from the [Russia side of the bridge].
“Traffic was stopped on the Crimean bridge...Law enforcement agencies and all responsible services are working. Measures are being taken to restore the situation,” he said.
The extent of damage to the bridge was not mentioned by the authorities.
"Given the current situation, I ask residents and guests of the peninsula to refrain from traveling through the Crimean bridge and, for security reasons, choose an alternative land route through new regions," Aksyonov added.
The RBC--Ukraine news agency-- reported that explosions were heard on the bridge.
The governor of Russia's Krasnodar, Veniamin Kondratiev said on Telegram a crisis center has been formed to coordinate emergency services and rescue those struck in traffic on the approaches to the bridge.
Last year in October, the bridge was closed after a major explosion. It was fully reopened in February.
The Russian officials said that a truck bomb caused seven railway cars carrying fuel to catch fire, resulting in a partial collapse of two sections of the bridge.
The 19-kilometre (12-mile) key bridge across the Kerch Strait linking the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov opened in 2018 and is the longest in Europe. The bridge gains significance as it sustains the military operations in the south of Ukraine.
Crimean peninsula was annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, however, internationally its still part of Ukraine.
