YCRT coal export train derails amid suspected sabotage

A freight train operated by Yacimientos Carboníferos Río Turbio (YCRT) derailed on Wednesday while transporting its first shipment of coal for export. The 36-wagon formation, carrying approximately 600 tons of fine coal, was traveling toward the Punta Loyola port when the locomotive and three wagons derailed near the Ingeniero Cappa siding.

Authorities have raised suspicions of sabotage. Pablo Gordillo, the interventor of YCRT, stated that an “extraño artefacto” (strange device) resembling a railway tool was found placed on the tracks, which appeared to have been used to deliberately force a wheel off the rail. Officials noted marks on both the device and the track, suggesting a premeditated act by someone with technical knowledge.

Santa Cruz Governor Claudio Vidal called for a rigorous and independent investigation, emphasizing that no hypothesis—including infrastructure failure or weather conditions—can be ruled out until a formal expert report is completed. While the train crew was rescued and released from medical care, Vidal stressed the gravity of the incident, noting that it occurred just as the state company was beginning to fulfill major export contracts vital to the province's economy.