Argentinian train derailment kills 49, injures 600

A packed commuter train entering a Buenos Aires station at morning rush hour overnight smashed into a retaining wall, crumpling cars and leaving at least 49 dead, 600 injured and dozens trapped in the twisted wreckage.
Survivors described a full train – there reportedly were as many as 800 people aboard – and a tremendous impact, with passengers thrown on top of each other and hurled to the floor.
“Unfortunately, we must report that there are 49 dead in the accident,” including a child, police spokesman, Nestor Rodriguez, said.

Civil defence officials said at least 600 people were hurt in the crash, including 200 with serious injuries.
Witnesses reported that it appeared the train’s brakes failed as it pulled into the “Once” station on the western outskirts of Buenos Aires.
Transportation Secretary, Juan Pablo Schiavi, said the train entered the station at a speed of 20km/h and failed to stop, crashing into a retaining wall at the end of the track.
“It was a very serious accident,” he said. “Cars piled up on top of each other and one of them went six metres inside another car.”
“People suffered contusions, but there are much more complex cases involving traumas of the thorax. There are people trapped alive in the cars.”
At least 30 people were trapped in the twisted wreckage of the first and second cars of the train, said Alberto Crescenti, the head of the city’s emergency services office, according to AFP.
Firefighters and rescue workers had to break through skylights in the train cars’ roofs to get inside as medical helicopters landed in the street.
“There were people who were crushed and shouting desperately. I saw bodies and blood all over the place,” Alejandro Velazquez said.
“Inside the first car there was a human wall,” said a firefighter who asked not to be identified.
“I felt the explosion of the crash. It was very loud. The train did not brake, I saw people hurt in their necks, arms, legs,” AFP quoted passenger Pedro Fuentes as saying.
Another passenger, who identified herself as Myriam, said she was with her two children, ages six and four.
“In a blink of an eye we were on the floor. I don’t know how we got out. The door crashed in on me, and I covered the girl.”
The train’s driver was carried away on a stretcher.
Argentine President, Cristina Kirchner, suspended a news conference on the dispute with Britain over the Falkland Islands following news of the crash, AFP reported.