The first bombs fell about 10 pm. Their arrival was no surprise — journalists left the city two days prior. Residents gathered in Cold War-era shelters as the air raid sirens wailed and radio reports warned of the need for gas masks. The state-run television station blinked out. Explosions erupted around the city and the lights went black.
Today’s freight train explosion happened just a few kilometers from where I live. I didn’t hear or feel the blast, but those exact same tracks run along the end of my block and the train would have passed by me a few minutes later on its way south. So it got me thinking about trains.