Argentina train crash leaves 4 dead, 120 injured
BUENOS AIRES: Four people died and 120 were injured when a train crashed into another train on Wednesday evening near the Argentinean capital, the Buenos Aires Herald reported.
A provincial line train crashed into the back of a stationed passenger train near the San Miguel station, about 30 kilometres outside of Buenos Aires, according to the UGOFE Emergency Train union.
Members of the fire department along with emergency workers and railway employees were working on Thursday morning to remove the two trains from the railway, and a 250-ton towing machine was used to remove heavy machinery.
Officials said 16 people are still in the hospital. The search for victims has been finalized, but authorities said there is a possibility that the number of victims could increase when the rest of the debris is removed.
Federal
Judge
Juan
Manuel
Yalj,
who
is
in
charge
of
the
investigation,
said
that
two
of
the
four
brakes
from
the
Ferrobaires
train's
engine
were
unusable
because
"one
was
blocked
and
the
other
had
been
locked
and
nailed
down,"
as
cited
by
the
Buenos
Aires
Herald.
"Unless the investigations done on the brake system and the wagon turn up something different, it looks like this was caused by human error," the judge said. Yalj had also ordered the arrests of the two drivers.
Planning Minister Julio De Vido said during a press conference that the emergency brake from the first train was unusable, and that "those responsible will be apprehended." He added that the Ferrobaires company does not depend on the national government.
This is the worst rail accident in Argentina in the last 15 years.
(BNO NEWS )