Brit is left fighting for life in intensive care after vintage steam train derails while carrying dozens of tourists across Argentinian mountain range

• La Trochita train derailed in the province of Rio Negro, Argentina on Saturday

A British man has been left fighting for his life in intensive care after a vintage steam train carrying dozens of tourists derailed while crossing an Argentinian mountain range.

The historic La Trochita, an emblematic tourist train known in English as the Old Patagonian Express, derailed in province of Rio Negro on Saturday carrying 53 people.

Among the tourists, who were mostly American, four were injured and were taken to different hospitals throughout the region. 

A British man was taken to a hospital in Ingeniero Jacobacci where he was initially treated for minor bruises and contusions. He was then transferred to the Bariloche Zonal Hospital to undergo CT scans.

But on Sunday morning, local authorities reported that his health condition had worsened.

The unnamed man was admitted in the early hours to the Intensive Care Unit due to a cardiac arrhythmia, where a cardiac evaluation was performed. So far, no new reports have been submitted. 

The historic La Trochita derailed in the province of Rio Negro on Saturday carrying 53 people

A British man was taken to hospital in Ingeniero Jacobacci where he was initially treated for minor bruises and contusions

But on Sunday morning, local authorities reported that his health condition worsened

The accident occurred on Saturday about 6 kilometers from Río Chico. At that time, the training had 53 foreign passengers on board who were referred to different health centers located in El Maitén and Ingeniero Jacobacci.

According to local sources, the accident occurred as a result of the tracks giving way in the terrain, though the official cause is still unknown.

Normally, La Trochita provides service between Ingeniero Jacobacci and the Ojos de Agua station, where it usually arrives at 1:15 p.m. But foreign tourists had hired a special route to Ñorquinco, 160 kilometers from the departure station.

The formation derailed between Mamuel Choique and Río Chico , in the heart of the Rio Negro steppe, a region that today is experiencing a great drop in temperature and strong winds. 

Among the famous tourist route, a group of guides tell the history of the train, and there is usually a musician who tours the carriages, in one of which there is a small cafeteria.

According to local news sources, this is not the first time the service has suffered an accident.

At the beginning of last September, another service that the company provides between Viedma and Bariloche, derailed.

A few kilometers from arriving in Bariloche, the formation derailed very close to the Perito Moreno station. At that time there were no serious injuries, although all passengers had to be evacuated and taken by van to this city. 

Due to this derailment, the service was suspended for 15 days , while a reconditioning of the route between Pilcaniyeu and Bariloche was carried out.

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