The motorman argued that he “had no brakes” in the train

Argentina, February 25, 2012

Marcos Antonio Cordoba, machinist of the train that crashed and left 51 dead and 600 wounded, said “I had warned earlier that the brakes were malfunctioning, but they said “continue, there is only one more station”. 

Yesterday, he told to the Justice the same statements he did when he arrived to the medical ward, adding that tried to brakes twice without success.

The prosecutor Delgado objected his release, but the judge Bonadío decided that he can go home, but will remain under criminal investigation.

One of the doctors who received him at the clinic of Fitz Roy said his first words at the hospital were “I tried to stop but the train did not respond, then pulled the emergency brake, but it didn’t work neither, and I stayed in the cabin, unable to do anything”.

The young man was held in solitary confinement until he was quoted yesterday to testify before the courts of Comodoro Py.

From the union, there were confirmed the words of the motorman after the tragedy “is usual that there are problems with the brakes and when you call, they tell to continue to a station where there is a mechanic, and not always is” said another colleague from the terminal. “If we stop because of technical problems, then we have problems with the company” he added.

Witnesses of Comodoro Py, when entered the office of judge yesterday also repeated the same thing that the firefighters that pulled him out from the irons of the wagon: “he had no brakes”.