A passenger train heading from Buenos Aires to Bahía Blanca derailed this morning near the city of Olavarría, and as confirmed by the local mayor, Ezequiel Galli. There are 21 injured people who are being treated at the Doctor Hector M. Cura Municipal Hospital.

“At the moment, there are 21 passengers treated at the hospital. Five of them are pediatric patients who have already been discharged. A 40-year-old passenger suffered a cranial brain injury, a tomography is being performed and he will be hospitalized for observation”, says Mayor Galli’s tweet, published about seven hours after the derailment.

The incident occurred around 5:20 a.m. this Tuesday, at the Pourtalé station, about 10 kilometers from Olavarría, where the formation stopped and then continued its journey towards Bahía Blanca.

The mismatch of formation No. 333 (with locomotive A916), which was complete with 479 passengers on board, affected the first five wagons, of which at least one was overturned on the ground. Fire personnel from the Olavarría Central Barracks, SAME ambulances, Civil Defense and police personnel immediately arrived at the scene.

The Undersecretary of Security of the Municipality of Olavarría, Mario Busto, said that the injured only suffered minor injuries. It is believed that there are more than a hundred passengers who suffered bumps, cuts or injuries.

Speaking to radio Mitre, Mayor Galli said that although the cause of the mismatching of the formation is unknown“It’s supposed to be the state of the roads. It was an accident that could have been worse.”

“The event occurred for reasons that are still unknown and will be the subject of investigation in the laying of tracks operated by the cargo company FerroExpreso Pampeano”, they pointed out from Trenes Argentinos.

The rest of the passenger was completely evacuated and taken by bus to the center of the city of Olavarría. As indicated by Trenes Argentinos, the operation will take several hours.

“The process of re-railing and restoring the normal conditions of the roads could take a few hours, so it is likely that some services that circulate through that corridor will be cancelled,” added official sources.

Martín Marinucci, president of Trenes Argentinos, announced via Twitter that he is heading to Olavarría “to accompany the users, as well as the workers, and supervise the preliminary inspections to clarify the cause of what happened.”