MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

No. of fatalities rises to 8 in TV reality show train accident

An 80-year-old woman died Sunday, bringing to eight the number of people killed in a bizarre train accident during the shooting of a reality TV program in western Uruguay, medical personnel said.

Ramona Galai died in the Paysandu hospital, some 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the small city of Young, where the accident had occurred on Friday.

Seven people who were run over by the steam locomotive died at the scene, and another person who saw the tragedy unfold suffered a fatal heart attack. A dozen other victims were hospitalized with serious injuries, some with the loss of limbs, according to police reports, and doctors said that the prognoses of at least two of the victims were guarded.

Seven of those who died on Friday were buried simultaneously on Sunday in the Young cemetery at a funeral attended by some 5,000 people, about one-third of the city's population.

The Uruguayan justice system will begin investigating the accident on Monday, officials said on Sunday.

Judge Mario Suarez, in a preliminary finding, said that the accident appeared to be the result of "great popular enthusiasm," and he will begin questioning the organizers of the popular TV show on Monday.

Friday's accident happened during the shooting of an episode of the reality TV show "Desafio al Corazon" (A Challenge to the Heart), in which communities can perform certain tasks to raise money for a local charity.

In this episode, broadcast by Channel 10 in Montevideo, residents from Young, 320 kilometers (200 miles) northwest of the capital, had to push an old steam engine and two attached cars to try and win $30,000.

Those responsible for shooting the scene had chosen more than 50 adults to push the train. But then the crowd of spectators who were watching the filming climbed over the security barriers and ran onto the train tracks to try and get in on the act.

At that moment the train began moving and a number of people who had climbed over the barriers - including women and children - were run over by the locomotive.

Graciela Baccino, a spokeswoman for Channel 10 television, said the tragedy was "deeply saddening". She said the TV network offered its "solidarity and support" to the families involved.

About 3,000 schoolchildren were at the recording and witnessed the accident.

Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez expressed his sorrow over the tragedy after returning from an eight-day South American tour.

He told reporters he was deeply saddened to learn of "the terrible misfortune that occurred while Uruguayans were offering all their affection, all their solidarity, all their heart, as is typical of Uruguayans, in a social aid project."

Three days of mourning will be observed in Rio Negro province, where the accident occurred, in honor of the victims. Uruguayan Public Health Minister Maria Julia Muñoz traveled to the site to supervise the medical care being provided to the injured.