The train had been travelling from Kazan in Tatarstan to Adler on the Black Sea when it derailed in the southern Volgograd region near the Kotelnikovo station about 1,200 km (750 miles) south of Moscow, the emergencies ministry said.
“Paramedics are on the scene,” the ministry announced, adding that 324 emergency workers were involved in the operation. Emergency helicopters have also been scrambled, it noted.
Volgograd Region Governor Andrey Bocharov stated some 813 passengers were on the train.
The Mash Telegram channel said at least two people were killed but that the death toll could rise. Interfax news agency said that up to 100 people could be injured.
Russian Railways said in a statement a total of 15 people, including three children, have been taken to hospital. Some 140 passengers suffered abrasions and bruises, it added.
A criminal investigation into the incident has been launched.
