Two people have died and a child has been injured in an “emergency situation” on the Russian-built Crimean Bridge, officials say, while Ukrainian media are reporting blasts were heard from the bridge in the early hours of the morning, writes ABC NEWS.

Road and rail traffic has been diverted from the bridge, which is also known as the Kerch Bridge and is the only direct transport route between the Crimean peninsula and the Russian mainland.

The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said the 2 people who died were the parents of the injured child - a young girl - and the family had been travelling across the bridge in a car.

The girl suffered “moderate” injuries and was being treated by doctors, he said.

Sergei Aksyonov, Crimea’s Russian-installed governor, said an incident occurred near the bridge’s 145th pillar: “Law enforcement agencies and all responsible services are working. Measures are being taken to restore the situation. I ask residents and guests of the peninsula to refrain from travelling through the Crimean Bridge and, for security reasons, to choose an alternative land route”.