At least 340 injured in train crash in Buenos Aires

Feb 22, 2012, 14:35 GMT

Buenos Aires - At least 340 people were injured Wednesday when a suburban train derailed at a station in central Buenos Aires.

There were no immediate reports of deaths, but authorities did not rule them out. Scores of people remained trapped inside the train, Alberto Crescenti, head of the city's emergency health services, told reporters two hours after the accident.

'It was a very serious accident,' said Argentine Transport Minister Juan Pablo Schiavi.

The train had entered Once station at 26 kilometres per hour, Schiavi said. It was reportedly carrying around 2,000 people during the rush hour.

'We think there was a problem with the brakes,' Schiavi said.

Since it could not stop, the train apparently crashed into the platform's shock absorbers, causing the first two cars in the convoy to become entangled.

In September, 11 people died and over 200 were injured when a suburban train crashed into a bus in Buenos Aires.