Overview
- An upward-moving escalator at Estación Dr. Sáenz on the Belgrano Sur line malfunctioned on Monday, Aug. 31 around 4:10 p.m., suddenly stopping or reversing and triggering a collective fall that injured between 11 and 12 passengers.
- The emergency response deployed 16 SAME ambulances; six people were treated at the scene and five were initially taken to hospitals including Piñero, Penna and Cecilia Grierson, and a later SAME update reported two patients still hospitalized.
- Police and investigators cordoned off the escalator and platform 1 and have partially dismantled the mechanism while peritajes (forensic inspections) proceed, with the rest of the station and Belgrano Sur service operating via other access points.
- The Unidad de Flagrancia Sur, led by fiscal Nancy Haron, opened a case caratulated as 'lesiones culposas' and is reviewing station cameras, taking witness statements and examining maintenance logs, including a preventive check recorded on Aug. 13.
- Station workers and an on-site vendor say the escalator had repeated faults and frequent repairs in recent months, a claim that raises passenger-safety concerns and may prompt closer oversight of maintenance practices and possible legal follow-up.