90 injured in Argentina train derailment

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — At least 90 people were injured in Argentina’s capital when a passenger train struck an empty boxcar on the tracks and derailed Friday, authorities said, a rare collision that fueled questions about basic safety.

The train was on its way from Buenos Aires to the northern suburbs when it derailed around 10:30 a.m. on a bridge in the trendy neighborhood of Palermo, safety officials said. Authorities said it was not immediately clear why the empty boxcar had been on the rails but that they were investigating.

“There is not enough information about the mechanics of this accident,” Buenos Aires Mayor Jorge Macri said from the crash site, where he praised the swift evacuation of victims.

Dozens of injured people were treated at the scene, and 30 people were taken to hospitals in moderate to serious condition, at least two by helicopter with chest trauma and broken bones. Alberto Crescenti, director of the city’s emergency service, said rescuers with police dogs had helped 90 people trapped in the train’s wreckage, lowering some from the highway overpass by rope.

Dazed passengers staggering out of the derailed boxcars told local media that the train had stopped on the bridge for several minutes before starting up again and slamming violently into the other train, jolting passengers and veering off the rails in a jumble of sparks and smoke.