BUENOS AIRES (AP) – At least 90 people were injured in Argentina’s capital when a passenger train struck an empty boxcar on the tracks and derailed on Friday, authorities said, a rare collision that fuelled questions about basic safety.
The train was on its way from Buenos Aires to the northern suburbs when it derailed around 10.30am on a bridge in the trendy neighborhood of Palermo, safety officials said.
While it was not immediately clear why the idled boxcar had been on the bridge, Argentina’s railway union said several metres of copper cable used to carry power along the tracks had been stolen from the railway, disabling the signaling system intended to prevent such accidents.
Union leaders fiercely opposed to libertarian President Javier Milei’s economic austerity blamed the government for its failure to invest in public infrastructure.
“We have been demanding for 10 days that the stolen signaling cables be repaired,” rail union leader Omar Maturano told the country’s independent radio Con Vos station. “The government said there was no money for spare parts.” Prosecutors said they were investigating.
“There is not enough information about the mechanics of this accident,” Buenos Aires Mayor Jorge Macri said from the crash site where he praised the swift evacuation of victims.
Dozens of injured were treated at the scene and 30 people taken to hospitals in moderate to serious condition, at least two by helicopter with chest trauma and broken bones. Director of the city’s emergency service Alberto Crescenti said rescuers with police dogs had helped 90 people trapped in the derailed train, lowering some by rope from the highway overpass scattered with twisted metal and shattered glass.
Dazed passengers staggering out of the derailed boxcars told local media the train had stopped on the bridge for several minutes before starting up again and slamming violently into the other train, jolting passengers and veering off the rails in a jumble of sparks and smoke.
Officials at the Argentine rail authority Trenes Argentinos said service on the popular rail line had been suspended, complicating travel for many commuters.
