At least 7 killed in Argentine train accident

At least 7 people, including 5 school girls, died on Wednesday after a freight train in Argentina collided with a public school bus carrying 42 girls onboard in the central province of San Luis, local police confirmed. San Luis Police Chief Carlos Pereyra said five of the dead were school girls aged between 10 and 11, while two were "very seriously" wounded. Most passengers sustained injuries at various degrees. A total of 49 people were traveling on the bus, including the driver and six teachers. All the wounded were taken to local hospitals in San Luis city. Pereyra said the crash happened at noon near the town of Zanjitas some 55 kilometers south of San Luis city, the provincial capital. The cause of the accident was still unclear, but police believe it was due to a technical failure of train brakes. The students were heading to a religious service as part of a school field trip in the southernmost part of the province, some 820 kilometers west of Buenos Aires when the accident occurred.