Russian investigators Saturday said three people were killed after a truck exploded on its bridge linking Moscow-annexed Crimea to the mainland, adding that the owner of the vehicle had been identified.

"According to preliminary information, three people were killed," Russia's investigative committee said in a statement. It said they were likely to be "passengers of a car that was near the truck that exploded."

Moscow announced earlier that a truck exploded igniting a huge fire and damaging the key Kerch bridge — built as Russia's sole land link with annexed Crimea — and vowed to find the perpetrators, without immediately blaming Ukraine.