Dozens injured in Argentina after train strikes boxcar

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Not less than 90 folks have been injured in Argentina’s capital when a passenger prepare struck an empty boxcar on the tracks and derailed Friday, authorities mentioned, a uncommon collision that fueled questions on primary security.

The prepare was on its approach from Buenos Aires to the northern suburbs when it derailed round 10:30 a.m. on a bridge within the stylish neighborhood of Palermo, security officers mentioned. Authorities mentioned it was not instantly clear why the empty boxcar had been on the rails however that they have been investigating.

“There may be not sufficient details about the mechanics of this accident,” Buenos Aires Mayor Jorge Macri mentioned from the crash web site the place he praised the swift evacuation of victims.

Dozens of injured have been handled on the scene and 30 folks taken to hospitals in reasonable to severe situation, no less than two by helicopter with chest trauma and damaged bones. Alberto Crescenti, director of town’s emergency service, mentioned rescuers with police canine had helped 90 folks trapped within the prepare’s wreckage, decreasing some from the freeway overpass by rope.

Dazed passengers staggering out of the derailed boxcars instructed native media the prepare had stopped on the bridge for a number of minutes earlier than beginning up once more and slamming violently into the opposite prepare, jolting passengers and veering off the rails in a jumble of sparks and smoke.

Officers on the Argentine rail authority, Trenes Argentinos, mentioned service on the favored rail line had been suspended as was underway to safe the world. They requested residents to avoid the crash web site to make room for emergency responders.

The collision introduced elevated scrutiny to rail security in Argentina, the place a string of a number of prepare crashes from 2012-2014 left over 50 folks lifeless and a whole bunch injured.

It emerged on the time that outdated infrastructure, delays and human error had left the railway system weak to crashes, prompting the federal government to put money into new security and braking programs.