49 dead, more than 600 injured as Argentina train slams into station

49 dead, more than 600 injured as Argentina train slams into station

2012-02-23 00:25:56 GMT+7 (ICT)

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (BNO NEWS) -- At least 49 people were killed on Wednesday when a packed commuter train slammed into the end of the line in Buenos Aires' busy Once station, officials said. More than 600 others were injured.

The train derailed after hitting the barrier at the end of the platform at Once station in the Argentina capital, killing 49 people and leaving more than 600 others injured. Several others were still trapped inside the train on early Wednesday afternoon, the El Clarín newspaper reported.

The most critically injured were rushed to hospitals throughout the capital and nearby cities, while paramedics were also treating scores of victims at the scene of the disaster. Survivors said that many people were injured in a jumble of metal and glass.

Transport Secretary Juan Pablo Schiavi said the train failed to stop at the lights and collided into the platform. He said the train, which was carrying more than 800 passengers on their daily commute, was traveling at 20 kilometers (12 miles) per hour when the accident occurred.

The head of the city's emergency services, Alberto Crescenti, said the number of casualties could increase. It is the country's worst rail disaster since February 1970 when two trains collided north of Buenos Aires, killing more than 140 people and leaving 360 others injured.

In September 2011, at least eleven people were killed and more than 200 others were injured when two passenger trains and a bus collided in Buenos Aires province. It was followed by an accident in November when a freight train collided with a school bus in central Argentina, killing eight people.

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