MOSCOW - Traffic reopened to cars and buses with a full inspection procedure needed on the road route of the Crimean Bridge, after an explosion on the viaduct on Saturday.

Trucks are still required to cross the Kerch Strait by ferry, Crimea's head Sergei Aksyonov said on Telegram.

Meanwhile, an initial assessment of the railway part of the Crimean Bridge has been carried out, and restoration work is underway, the Russian Ministry of Transport said.

The 19-km bridge, which consists of two parallel routes for automobiles and trains, will possibly open to trains by 8 pm Moscow time (1700 GMT) on Saturday, according to the ministry.

Earlier in the day, a truck exploded on the road bridge, causing seven fuel tanks of a train heading to the Crimean Peninsula to catch fire.

Three people were killed in the blast, which also led to the partial collapse of two spans of the road bridge.