Once Tragedy
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The 2012 Buenos Aires rail disaster, also known as the Once Tragedy, occurred on 22 February 2012, when a train crashed at
Once Station Once railway station ( es, Estación Once de Septiembre, translation=Eleventh of September Station, ; informally known as ) is a large railway terminus in central Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the ''barrio'' of Balvanera. The station, inaugurated ...
( es, link=no, Estación Once de Septiembre; ) in the
Balvanera Balvanera is a barrio or neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Origin of name and alternative names The official name, Balvanera, is the name of the ''parroquia'' (parish) centered around the church of ''Nuestra Señora de Balvanera'', erected ...
neighbourhood of
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, Argentina. There were about 1,000 passengers on board when the crowded eight-carriage train, whose working brakes were not activated, hit the buffers at the end of the line, crushing the motor carriage and the following two carriages, after approaching the station at a speed of . Fifty-one people were killed and more than 700 were injured; the dead and seriously injured were in the first two carriages, which were packed with people who had moved to the front of the train to be near the station exit on arrival. The
Sarmiento Line The Sarmiento line is a broad gauge commuter rail service in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, run by the state-owned Trenes Argentinos since 11 September 2013. History This line had previously been run by the state-owned company Ferrocarril ...
, on which the incident occurred, was operated by
Trenes de Buenos Aires Trenes de Buenos Aires (TBA) (In English: Trains of Buenos Aires) was a private company that operated commuter rail services over the broad gauge Sarmiento and Mitre lines of Buenos Aires. The company, owned by Claudio and Mario Cirigliano, also ...
(TBA), owned by the Cirigliano brothers. It was the second fatal accident on the line within six months, following the
2011 Flores rail crash The 2011 Flores rail crash occurred at 06.23 ART on 13 September 2011 when a bus on a level crossing at Flores railway station, in the Flores ''barrio'' of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was hit by a train on the Sarmiento Line, heading for Moreno. T ...
, and the third-deadliest train accident in Argentina's history, after the
Benavídez rail disaster The Benavídez rail disaster, which occurred on February 1, 1970, is the worst-ever rail disaster in Argentina and South America, leaving 236 dead and more than 500 injured. Summary This accident happened in an isolated, dimly lit area near Benav ...
in 1970 (which left 142 dead and 368 injured) and the Sa Pereira rail disaster in 1978 (which left 55 dead).


Incident

Train number 16 was operating the Sarmiento Line local service 3772 from
Moreno Moreno may refer to: Places Argentina *Moreno (Buenos Aires Metro), a station on Line C of the Buenos Aires Metro *Moreno, Buenos Aires, a city in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina *Moreno Department, a depatnent of Santiago del Estero Province, A ...
to Once during the morning rush hour on the first working day after a
Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
holiday. The train was reported to be traveling too fast — about — on entry to the station. It failed to stop before the end of the track at Once Station and at 8:33
ART Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
crashed into the
buffer stop A buffer stop, bumper, bumping post, bumper block or stopblock (US), is a device to prevent railway vehicles from going past the end of a physical section of track. The design of the buffer stop is dependent, in part, on the kind of couplings ...
s at a speed of . The motor carriage and the following two carriages were crushed; the second carriage was telescoped into the first. Several passengers described the impact as an explosion.


Emergency response

Several ambulances were in the area at the time of the accident, waiting for a ship that had suffered an
influenza B ''Influenza B virus'' is the Monotypic taxon, only species in the genus ''Betainfluenzavirus'' in the virus family ''Orthomyxoviridae''. Influenza B virus is known only to infect humans and Pinniped, seals. This limited host range is apparently ...
outbreak, and were used to transport victims to nearby hospitals. People with minor injuries left the accident zone on foot. According to the city's head of civil defence, the rescue was difficult because the hard and complicated structure of the carriages made the task of removing the wreckage difficult. The train driver survived the crash; he was rescued and evacuated in an ambulance. It took many people to free him from the wreckage. He was not seriously injured, and a test for
blood alcohol content Blood alcohol content (BAC), also called blood alcohol concentration or blood alcohol level, is a measurement of alcohol intoxication used for legal or medical purposes; it is expressed as mass of alcohol per volume or mass of blood. For exampl ...
gave a negative result. The Sarmiento Line did not resume normal operation for several hours. People demanding the reopening of the line threw bottles, sticks and chairs at federal police and soldiers guarding the crash site, though police regained control within a few minutes. Fifty-one people, including three children, were confirmed dead. More than 700 others were injured. The crash scene and audio logs were examined to determine the cause of the accident.


Reactions


Domestic

Argentine President
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner (; born 19 February 1953), often referred to by her initials CFK, is an Argentine lawyer and politician who has served as the Vice President of Argentina since 2019. She also served as the President ...
declared two days of national mourning and suspended the Carnival festivities.
Mauricio Macri Mauricio Macri (; born 8 February 1959) is an Argentine businessman and politician who served as the President of Argentina from 2015 to 2019. He has been the leader of the Republican Proposal (PRO) party since its founding in 2005. He previou ...
, the
chief of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a gr ...
of the autonomous city of Buenos Aires, and the governor of
Buenos Aires Province Buenos Aires (), officially the Buenos Aires Province (''Provincia de Buenos Aires'' ), is the largest and most populous Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of th ...
,
Daniel Scioli Daniel Osvaldo Scioli (, ; born 13 January 1957) is an Argentine politician, sportsman, and businessman. He was Vice President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007 and Governor of Buenos Aires Province from 2011 to 2015. From 2020 to 2022 he was Argen ...
, did the same. Secretary of Transport
Juan Pablo Schiavi Juan Pablo Schiavi (b. Buenos Aires, June 10, 1957) is an Argentinian agronomist and politician who has held a wide range of positions at the top of national and municipal government of Argentina. Following the resignation of Raúl Jaime in 2009, ...
announced that the government will investigate the accident. He reported that the driver was well rested at the time of the accident and had very good labour reports. The train's and station's
black box In science, computing, and engineering, a black box is a system which can be viewed in terms of its inputs and outputs (or transfer characteristics), without any knowledge of its internal workings. Its implementation is "opaque" (black). The te ...
and the security tapes were handed to the a Federal Judge. Minister of Planning and Public Investment
Julio de Vido Julio Miguel de Vido (born December 26, 1949) is an Argentine politician who was Minister of Planning and Public Investment between 2003 and 2015. Biography De Vido was born in the City of Buenos Aires in 1949. Enrolling at the University of Bue ...
announced that the presidency would initiate a lawsuit against TBA, the owners of the Sarmiento line, but that was not accepted by the Justice Department, arguing that government officials could also have broad responsibilities in the accident. The
Radical Civic Union The Radical Civic Union ( es, Unión Cívica Radical, UCR) is a centrist and social-liberal political party in Argentina. It has been ideologically heterogeneous, ranging from social liberalism to social democracy. The UCR is a member of the So ...
proposed the
impeachment Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...
of Schiavi, requesting explanations about the state of railway lines, and pointing to previous complaints about the lack of proper state control over the working of the lines. They also urged Congress to create a commission to investigate the case and the responsibilities of the government. The Civic Coalition criticized De Vido's announcement, pointing out that the state cannot be
plaintiff A plaintiff ( Π in legal shorthand) is the party who initiates a lawsuit (also known as an ''action'') before a court. By doing so, the plaintiff seeks a legal remedy. If this search is successful, the court will issue judgment in favor of the p ...
as it is involved in the case. The General Confederation of Labour complained about the overall poor condition of the railways, saying that the accident highlighted the problem. The
Argentine Workers' Central Union The Argentine Workers' Central Union ( es, Central de Trabajadores de la Argentina, CTA) is a trade-union federation in Argentina. Its general secretary is Hugo Yasky. It was formed in 1991 when a number of trade unions disaffiliated from the G ...
requested the removal of the TBA administration of the train.


International

The
Foreign and Commonwealth Office The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ministries of fore ...
of the United Kingdom regretted the incident and expressed its condolences to the "families of the victims" and the "emergency agencies that are still working to aid" those in the accident. The
Secretariat of Foreign Affairs The Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs ( es, Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores, ''SRE'', lit: Secretariat of External Relations) is the government department responsible for Mexico's foreign affairs. Mexico currently has 80 embassies, 3 ...
of Mexico sent its condolences to the "sister country of Argentina" and hoped for the "speedy recovery of the families and those injured."
Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...
sent his condolences.


Investigation

Initially a union leader said that the train had been working well, and there had been no problems with the
brakes A brake is a mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing energy from a moving system. It is used for slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of friction. Background ...
at previous stations. Some passengers reported the same. The driver, 28-year-old Marcos Antonio Córdoba, was taken into custody but later released by the investigating judge over the objections of the prosecutor after declaring under oath "I tried to brake twice, but the mechanism failed." He also activated the hand brake, which also failed. A judicial source said Cordoba told investigators: "At each station he advised the dispatcher by radio that he had problems with the brakes." He reportedly said he was told to keep going. An event in
Plaza de Mayo The Plaza de Mayo (; en, May Square) is a city square and main foundational site of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was formed in 1884 after the demolition of the Recova building, unifying the city's Plaza Mayor and Plaza de Armas, by that time know ...
was arranged for 22 February 2014, to mark the second anniversary of the crash.


Trial

On March 18, 2014, the trial began before the Federal Oral Criminal Court No. 2 (TOCF2), made up of judges Rodrigo Giménez Uriburu, Jorge Alberto Tassara and Jorge Luciano Gorini. In the trial, two facts were judged: on the one hand, the accident, with its sequel of deaths and injuries, and on the other hand, whether there was fraudulent administration in the administration of the railway company and ministerial management.Tragedia de Once: el tribunal oral dio a conocer los fundamentos de la sentencia
30 March 2016
The trial lasted almost two years. Among the most relevant acts is the court's decision to reject the conclusions of four of the six experts (engineers Horacio Faggiani, Julio César Pastine, Alejandro Héctor Leonetti and Raúl Díaz) and request that they be prosecuted for false testimony, which Judge Bonadío did.Tragedia de Once: la Justicia confirmó que los peritos no mintieron sobre el estado de los frenos
by Fabio Ferrer on Infobae
In this context, the expert engineer Leonetti was arrested by the court. Two years later the four experts would be acquitted.El procesamiento por falso testimonio fue revocado
on El Destape, March 15, 2018
On 29 December 2015, the sentence was issued, resulting in the conviction of 21 people and the acquittal of seven. Sergio Cigliano, one of the owners of
TBA To be announced (TBA), to be confirmed (TBC), to be determined or decided or declared (TBD), and other variations, are placeholder terms used very broadly in event planning to indicate that although something is scheduled or expected to happen, a ...
, was sentenced to nine years in prison.
Juan Pablo Schiavi Juan Pablo Schiavi (b. Buenos Aires, June 10, 1957) is an Argentinian agronomist and politician who has held a wide range of positions at the top of national and municipal government of Argentina. Following the resignation of Raúl Jaime in 2009, ...
, former Secretary of Transportation, was sentenced to eight years in prison and a lifelong ban on public office. Ricardo Jaime, another former Secretary of Transportation, got six years of prison and the same ban. Marcos Córdoba, the driver, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison and also banned from driving trains for six years.


References


External links


Official list of injured people
() {{DEFAULTSORT:Buenos Aires rail disaster, 2012 2012 in Argentina Balvanera Rail transport in Buenos Aires Railway accidents in 2012 Train collisions in Argentina Presidency of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner 2010s in Buenos Aires February 2012 events in South America 2012 disasters in Argentina