Passenger Train Crashes Off Tracks Outside Rosario, Two Fatalities Confirmed, Thirty Five Passengers Hospitalized

Rosario, Argentina— A passenger train jumped the tracks outside Rosario on the afternoon of October 20, killing two passengers who were crushed beneath overturned carriages and injuring 35 others, many of them commuters heading to Buenos Aires.

The Trenes Argentinos service, with six carriages and roughly 280 passengers, was traveling from Córdoba to Retiro when it derailed at 2:18 p.m. near the town of Alvear, about 14 kilometers south of Rosario. The locomotive and first three carriages stayed upright. The fourth and fifth carriages jackknifed, tipped onto their sides, and slid into a drainage ditch alongside the line.

Buenos Aires Times reported the two fatalities occurred in the fifth carriage, where the roof collapsed. Firefighters had to use hydraulic spreaders to lift steel. A SAME emergency medical official said, "We had people trapped under seats, metal pressing on their chests. Two did not survive the crush. At least eight others have fractures and head injuries."

Thirty-five injured were taken to Hospital de Emergencias Clemente Álvarez in Rosario. Five remain in critical condition. The rest suffered lacerations, broken limbs, and shock. Passengers described a violent jolt, then darkness as luggage fell and windows shattered. One passenger said, "The train started shaking badly, like it was hitting rocks. Then we went over. People screamed."

The Rosario-Buenos Aires corridor is one of the country's busiest, but also one of its most deteriorated. Track maintenance has been deferred for years. Rail workers union La Fraternidad said it had reported a misalignment on that exact stretch three weeks ago. "We filed the report. No one replaced the sleepers. The ballast is gone," a union delegate said.

Trenes Argentinos said in a statement that the cause is not yet known and that it is cooperating with federal investigators. The National Transport Safety Board said it has recovered the train's event recorder and will examine speed data. Preliminary information suggests the train was traveling at 92 km/h, below the 120 km/h limit for that segment.

The derailment paralyzed freight and passenger traffic across Santa Fe province. The line was closed in both directions. Buses were deployed to move stranded passengers, but hundreds were left waiting at Rosario Norte station well into the evening.

For years, Argentina has struggled to fund rail upgrades while pushing more passengers onto the network. President's office said it will review infrastructure budgets. Opposition lawmakers called the crash predictable.

The carriages remain on their sides in the ditch. The line is still closed.