Villa Soldati level crossing disaster | |
---|---|
Details | |
Date | June 11, 1962 |
Location | Villa Soldati, Buenos Aires |
Country | Argentina |
Line | Belgrano Sur Line |
Operator | Ferrocarriles Argentinos |
Incident type | Level crossing collision |
Cause | Crossing operator error |
Statistics | |
Trains | 1 |
Deaths | 33 [1] |
Injured | 83 |
The Villa Soldati level crossing disaster occurred on the morning of June 11, 1962 in the Villa Soldati neighborhood of Buenos Aires, when, in dense fog, a train struck a municipal bus carrying schoolchildren. [2] [3]
It was one of the worst accidents in the city of Buenos Aires, with the number of fatal victims estimated between 31 and 42. [note 1]
The accident happened near President Illia Station, where the Belgrano Sur Line train that ran towards the Buenos Aires station crossed Lacarra Street at its junction with Veracruz street. [2] The crossing attendant, believing the crossing to be clear, opened the barriers to allow a truck to cross. The truck was followed by the bus, [5] which was carrying 120 children. [1] The bus driver did not hear the warning bell until it was too late. [3] The impact of the train virtually destroyed the bus [2] and pushed part of it 150 yards down the track. [3]
Dozens of ambulances and a hundred doctors arrived at the scene. The injured were taken to four different hospitals where a shortage of blood and plasma resulted in an appeal for blood donors, to which 1,500 people responded. [5] Many children were taken to Hospital Piñero in a truck driven by the owner of a nearby greengrocer, while others were taken by colectivos 150 and 101 and firetrucks. At the moment of the accident, the visibility was very low due to thick fog, which was a major cause of the accident. [4]
As a result, 33 people were killed and 83 injured. [1] Other than the bus driver and a female teacher, [5] the dead were children less than 13-years-old. [2] There were no casualties on the train. [5] Most of the children lived at a shanty town on Lacarra street and were less than 6 years old. [4]
A monument was built after the tragedy, marking the scene of the accident. [2]
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