Early this Thursday morning there was a collision between two trains in the commune of San Bernardo, Metropolitan region; situation that left two dead and 9 injured as a result of the force of the frontal impact.
The impact occurred at around 12:15 a.m., involving a test machine from the State Railway Company (EFE) and another cargo company Ferrocarril del Pacífico SA (Fepasa)which they crashed head on at the height of the sector Lo Herrerain the aforementioned commune, specifically, at kilometer 26 of Route 5, heading south.
The passenger train was carrying out speed tests with EFE personnel when encountered the Fepasa loading machine that was transporting copper from the El Teniente mine to the Central Station, the collision occurring. The cargo consisted of 2,239 tons of copper plates.
As reported EFE Through a statement, the two deceased were traveling on the freight trainin the case of two Chilean citizens, 43 and 58 years old, according to police information. One of them was found inside the machine, while the second was ejected as a result of the force of the impact.
On the other hand, the nine injured, who ended up with serious but non-life-threatening injuries They were on the passenger railway. Among the injured are four people of Chinese nationality.
He Prosecutor of Flagrancia Oeste, Pedro Aravenaindicated that, according to the information provided by EFEthe incident “occurred because the train that was hit, the freight train, was coming from south to north with cargo and, For unknown reasons, the central station (the test train) was not warned that this freight train was coming north.. And the train that crashed, which was coming from north to south, which did not come with passengers, is a test train.”
Along these lines, Aravena added that “Before the impact, the crew of that train that was coming from north to south warned (of the presence of the other convoy) and they went towards the last car, and in this way they were able to avoid losing their lives, because those nine people are, at this moment, in serious condition, they have all already been evacuated, but they are not life-threatening.”
The president of EFE, Eric Martinindicated that the company has an accident investigation unit that will provide help to clarify the incident.
“The signage in these cases was working, the Railway machines also have black boxes similar to those of airplanes, with which the movements, the speed of the railway, in short, and These are antecedents that will, of course, be available for investigation and justice.“, held.
Meanwhile, since Public ministry the work of the Traffic Accident Investigation Section (SIAT) and OS9 to carry out the corresponding investigation.
During the morning of Thursday, the Western Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the arrest of two people. Its about test train driver and the road managerboth for quasi-crime of homicide and serious injuries. Those arrested are officials of EFEof which one is hospitalized in a medical facility of the Chilean Security Association (ACHS) and another is in the custody of personnel of the OS9 Carabineros of Chile.
