At least ninety injured in Buenos Aires train collision

At least ninety people were injured in a train collision near the Argentine capital Buenos Aires. A passenger train crashed into a locomotive and an empty freight car.

The passenger train was traveling from Buenos Aires to the northern suburbs when it derailed on a bridge near the Palermo district yesterday around 10:30 a.m. local time after colliding with the freight wagon. Authorities say they are still investigating why the freight wagon was on the track.

“There is not yet enough information about the circumstances surrounding the accident,” said the city’s mayor Jorge Macri during a visit to the crash site. He praised rescuers for their quick action.

The head of the disaster service explains how bad the situation was:

Transport Minister Franco Mogetta stated that “several hypotheses are being investigated” about the cause of the accident. According to him, it cannot be ruled out that the signals no longer worked properly due to theft of cables.

Dozens of people could be treated on the spot. About thirty people with worse injuries were taken to hospital. At least two people were transported by helicopter.

Passengers told media that the train had stopped on the bridge for a few minutes and then collided hard with the freight wagon. The popular train connection may not be used pending the investigation.