One of the worst rail disasters in Argentina in more than 30 years has killed 49 people and injured more than 600. The train crash happened at Once station in Buenos Aires during rush hour on Wednesday. The train was packed with passengers when it plowed into buffers at the stations. The force of the collision pushed the second car into the first carriage. There were dozens of people trapped inside.
The accident is believed to have been caused by brake failure. Witnesses recall moving back on the platform because they could see that train was not braking. The impact was brutal, causing passengers in the train to be hurled through the air. Those who were able to escape did so by climbing and jumping out of windows.
Relatives and friends of passengers tried to find out any information they could about their loved ones. Police said that a child was among the 49 people that were killed. There were between 1,200 and 1,500 people on the train when it crashed.
Of the more than 600 people that were injured, 460 remain in hospitals in Buenos Aires. The driver of the train, who is 28 years old, survived, but is in intensive care.
The crash will likely increase criticism of Argentina’s overcrowded and dilapidated train services. The trains, which are operated by private companies, are often involved in accidents and prone to delays. Edgardo Reinoso, who is a representative with the train workers trade union, said that the company that owned this train is known for not maintaining their trains.
Over ten million people travel each month on this particular route, which goes between the western suburbs and Buenos Aires. Another accident last September killed 11 people when two trains crashed into a city bus. A train crash in 1970 in Argentina killed over 230 people and is the worst train accident in the country’s history.
