Heads of various agencies engaged in recovery operations following the train accident briefed the President on the current situation, the progress of rescue operations and medical relief, as well as the investigation.
President Medvedev gave instructions to check out on everyone who was aboard the Nevsky Express and make decisions on indemnity payments in the shortest possible time.
Taking part in the meeting were Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Sergei Naryshkin, First Deputy Prime Minister and head of government commission to investigate the accident Viktor Zubkov, Minister of Healthcare and Social Development Tatyana Golikova, Transport Minister Igor Levitin, Minister of the Interior Rashid Nurgaliyev, Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu, Federal Security Service Director Alexander Bortnikov and First Deputy Prosecutor General Alexander Buksman. Vladimir Yakunin, the Russian Railways CEO, participated in the meeting in a video conference format.
Earlier in the day about 12 p.m. Moscow time Dmitry Medvedev held a teleconference during which Emergencies, Interior and Healthcare Ministers briefed the President on the situation and immediate measures being taken.
According to the latest data, over 20 people were killed and another 100 injured in a serious accident when the Nevsky Express train bound from Moscow to St Petersburg derailed.