Buenos Aires, Argentina (AP) – A commuter train derailed during the morning rush hour in Argentina’s capital on Tuesday, leaving twisted wreckage, heavy plumes of black smoke billowing into the air, and at least 30 people seriously injured.
The accident occurred around 8:15 am local time as the passenger train was entering the Once station in the central Buenos Aires neighbourhood of Balvanera. Eyewitness accounts describe a scene of chaos and panic as the front cars of the train jumped the tracks, violently crashed into a platform, and partially penetrated the concourse area of the station.
“It was like an earthquake or bombing had gone off,” said 28-year-old commuter Josefina Ramirez. “One moment I was checking my phone, and the next there was a huge metallic grinding sound and everything just collapsed around me in a cloud of debris and smoke.”
The impact derailed at least four cars from the front of the train, with the mangled remains blocking all entrances to the Once terminal. Images from the scene showed the heavily damaged lead locomotive on its side, having ploughed across the platform and partway into the station concourse. Large sections of the roof appeared to have caved in from the impact.
Rescue teams worked feverishly to free passengers trapped in the wreckage, with at least 30 people reported to be seriously injured and transported to local hospitals. A spokesperson for the city’s emergency medical service said that over 60 others suffered light injuries and were treated at a temporary triage area. The most critically wounded passengers had to be carefully extracted from the crumpled train cars using hydraulic rescue tools.
As of late Tuesday morning, Argentine officials had not confirmed any fatalities from the derailment. However, images from the scene showed rescue teams frantically attempting to reach at least one person pinned under the wreckage of the first train car.
The cause of the tragic accident remains under investigation. However, some witnesses reported that the train appeared to be traveling at an excessive speed as it attempted to pull into the station. Authorities will also look at whether there were any equipment, signaling or track issues that could have contributed to the derailment.
Built in 1915, the Once terminal is one of the busiest transit hubs in Buenos Aires. Tens of thousands of commuters arrive and depart through its underground platforms daily. Neighboring streets remained blocked off for several hours after the accident as emergency vehicles struggled to access the chaotic scene.
Debris was strewn in all directions, with the front portion of the train having barreled across the platform and through the station entrance. Shattered glass, crumpled steel and shards of brick and concrete littered the area, compounding the rescue efforts. Crowds of evacuated passengers gathered in nearby plazas looking shaken and dazed as they awaited information about re-routed transportation.
Argentine President Alberto Fernández expressed dismay about the accident and urged the public for patience as rescue and recovery operations unfolded. “The anguish over this train accident in Once is unbearable,” the president said in a translated tweet. “We remain waiting for the relevant authorities to clarify the scope of what has happened and helping with the tasks of assistance.”
The derailment immediately sparked renewed criticisms about the state of Argentina’s aging rail infrastructure and calls for major reforms. The country has a long history of train accidents and incidents, with poor funding and inadequate maintenance of equipment often cited as contributing factors.
In 2012, a train crashed at the same Once station in Buenos Aires, leaving 51 dead and over 700 injured in one of the worst railway disasters in Argentine history. A 2011 crash in Buenos Aires province claimed 11 lives. Most notoriously, the 1970 accident known as the “Tragedy of Saltiquí” resulted in over 200 fatalities after two trains collided.
“Unfortunately, we’ve been through this devastating cycle of railway accidents before. The infrastructure is dangerously outdated and underfunded,” said transportation expert Alberto Leguizamón to Argentine news channel TN. “The government must act now to allocate the resources needed to avoid these all-too-frequent tragedies. Until real reforms are enacted, these scenes will keep repeating themselves.”
While the operator of the train involved in Tuesday’s incident was not immediately known, the Sarmiento line it was traveling serves western Buenos Aires and the suburbs. Argentine railroads are a mixture of state-run and privately operated commuter systems.
Transport unions wasted no time demanding accountability from all parties involved. “We cannot keep putting off modernizing railways and investing in maintenance,” Juan Palacios, head of Argentina’s influential railroad union, told reporters. “The families of today’s victims deserve justice and assurances that this level of negligence causing such destruction will never be tolerated again.”
As emergency personnel worked through the late morning to stabilize the Once station site and transport injured passengers to hospitals, officials vowed a thorough and unsparing investigation. Inspectors from Argentina’s National Transportation Safety Board began collecting evidence and surveying the scene shortly after the accident occurred.
Given the central location of the Once station and heavy media presence capturing dramatic footage of the aftermath, the incident draws renewed scrutiny to the state of Buenos Aires’ aging transit infrastructure. While the economic turmoil gripping Argentina in recent years has strained public funding for projects like rail modernization, pressure will mount on the government to prioritize such critical safety issues before any other accidents compound this latest tragedy.
