Argentina president under fire for tweets mocking Chinese accent

Feb. 4, 2015: Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez shake hands after signing documents following their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (AP Photo/Rolex Dela Pena)

Embattled Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, while on a state visit to China seeking badly needed investment, caused a furor Wednesday by joking about her hosts’ accents on Twitter.

Fernandez tried to mimic a Chinese accent by switching “r’s” with “l’s” in a tweet in Spanish that translates as: “Did they only come for lice and petloleum.”

A few minutes later, she added: “Sorry, the levels of ridiculousness and absurdity are so high they can only be digested with humor.”

The tweets came as she met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

As of late Wednesday, there was no official response from China about the comments by Fernandez, a prolific tweeter who has 3.53 million followers.

But that didn’t stop the Twitterverse in the South American country and beyond from exploding with criticism of what many considered a racist tweet.

“Cristina Fernandez’s lack of tack and respect is incredible,” wrote @FaundezLafarga. “She goes to China looking for (economic) agreements and she makes fun of their accents.”

@GuyChazan wrote: “Faux pas in China. Really, this sort of joke went out of fashion in the 70s.”

The latest controversy comes as Fernandez struggles to distance herself from the mysterious death of prosecutor Alberto Nisman, who was found dead in his bathroom Jan. 18, hours before he was to elaborate on allegations that Fernandez helped shield Iranians connected to the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center that killed 85.

Fernandez has vehemently denied the accusations, saying Argentina had nothing to gain from such a deal. She has suggested that rogue elements in the intelligence services ordered Nisman’s hit, but has not elaborated.

Earlier this week, just as her visit to China was getting underway, investigators looking into Nisman’s death said they had found a of an arrest warrant for Fernandez that Nisman had written up. While he never presented it, the revelations brought Fernandez back to the center of the case.

On Wednesday, relatives of victims of the bombing marched with family members of the victims of Argentina’s military dictatorship and other national tragedies to demand an end to impunity and the truth about what happened to Nisman.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in front of Congress in Buenos Aires with the march ending in the famed Plaza de Mayo.

“The demand for truth and justice that relatives of the AMIA (Jewish center) victims are making is the same as what we want for the 30,000 people who disappeared” during the dictatorship, said Nora Cortinas, who co-founded the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo human rights group.

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Argentina president under fire for tweets mocking Chinese accent

Argentina prosecutor found dead had drafted warrant for president"s arrest, investigator says

President Cristina Fernandez at the government palace, in Buenos Aires, Friday, Jan. 30, 2015.

The Argentinian prosecutor investigating the death of her colleague, Alberto Nisman, said he had prepared a warrant for the arrest of President Cristina Fernandez.

The draft, however, was later removed and was not included in his complaint against the president, accusing her of trying to protect Iranian nationals suspected in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center.

The prosecutor, Viviana Fein, had at first denied the existence of the arrest warrant after it was published in Clarín, but later said it indeed existed.

Fein said Nisman prepared the warrant for President Fernandez’s arrest but ultimately did not include it in his complaint alleging the president tried to cover up the suspected Iranian involvement in the bombing of a Jewish center.

The 26-page document was recovered from a garbage can in Nisman’s Buenos Aires apartment, where he was found dead January 18. Fein came under fire for not disclosing the warrant’s existence earlier.

“I am beyond any political stance and am not under any pressure, I am an independent person in my way of thinking and acting; I want to state that very clearly,” she was quoted by Clarin newspaper as saying.

Investigators are trying to determine whether Nisman killed himself, was murdered and was forced to commit suicide. Senators Marco Rubio, Bob Menendez and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen have called for an independent probe into the prosecutor’s death.

EFE contributed to this report.

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Argentina prosecutor found dead had drafted warrant for president"s arrest, investigator says

Argentina special prosecutor in Jewish community center bombing found dead of gunshot wound

At left, firefighters and rescue workers search through the rubble of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association community center, after a car bomb rocked the building in downtown Buenos Aires on July 18, 1994. At right, Alberto Nisman, the prosecutor investigating the bombing, talks to journalists in Buenos Aires in 2013. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)

BUENOS AIRES –  A special prosecutor who had accused Argentine President Cristina Fernandez of ordering impunity for Iranian suspects in the South American country’s worst terrorist attack was found shot dead, authorities said Monday.

Alberto Nisman, who was set to testify Monday in a closed-door hearing, was found in the bathroom of his Buenos Aires apartment late Sunday, federal prosecutor Viviana Fein told Telam, Argentina’s official news agency.

“We can confirm that it was a gunshot wound, .22 caliber,” she said, adding that it was too early in the investigation to know what had happened.

Nisman had been appointed 10 years ago by Fernandez’s late husband, then President Nestor Kirchner, to investigate the 1994 bombing of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people and injured more than 200. In 2013, Argentina and Iran reached an agreement to investigate the attack, which remains unsolved.

That year, Nisman released an indictment accusing Iran and Hezbollah of organizing the blast. Iran denies any involvement.

Last week, Nisman accused Fernandez and other senior Argentine officials of agreeing not to punish at least two former Iranian officials in the case. He asked a judge to call Fernandez and others, including Foreign Minister Hector Timerman, for questioning.

“The president and her foreign minister took the criminal decision to fabricate Iran’s innocence to sate Argentina’s commercial, political and geopolitical interests,” Nisman said last week.

Government officials called the prosecutor’s allegations ludicrous.

A federal judge had begun the process of deciding whether to hear the complaint and whether anyone should be summoned for questioning.

Late Sunday, federal police agents in charge of Nisman’s protection alerted their superiors that he wasn’t answering phone calls, according to a statement from the Health Ministry. When he also didn’t answer the door, they decided to alert family members, according to the statement.

When Nisman’s mother wasn’t able to open the door because a key was in the lock on the other side, a locksmith was called to open it, the ministry said. A .22 caliber handgun and a shell casing were found next to Nisman’s body.

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Argentina special prosecutor in Jewish community center bombing found dead of gunshot wound

Argentina country profile

27 September 2014 Last updated at 15:35 Argentina stretches 4,000 km from its sub-tropical north to the sub-antarctic south.

Its terrain includes part of the Andes mountain range, swamps, the plains of the Pampas and a long coastline. Its people have had to struggle with military dictatorship, a lost war over the Falkland Islands, and severe economic difficulties.

Argentina is rich in resources, has a well-educated workforce and is one of South America’s largest economies. But it has also fallen prey to a boom and bust cycle.

A deep recession foreshadowed economic collapse in 2001. This left more than half the population living in poverty and triggered unrest. The country struggled with record debt defaults and currency devaluation.

Continue reading the main story Politics: President Cristina Fernandez is the widow of former president Nestor Kirchner Economy: On the mend since collapse of 2001, but in July 2014 Argentina again defaulted on its international debtInternational: Argentina claims sovereignty over the Falklands, a UK overseas territory

Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring

By 2003 a recovery was under way, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed to a vital new loan. Since then, Argentina has restructured its massive debt, offering creditors new bonds for the defaulted ones, and has repaid its debt to the IMF. But with poverty rife and unemployment high, many Argentines still await the benefits of the economic upturn.

Argentina remains locked in a territorial dispute with Britain over the Falklands Islands, which are governed as a British overseas territory, but have been claimed by Buenos Aires since the 1830s.

The issue led to war in 1982, when the islands fell to an invasion launched by Argentina’s military junta, but were re-conquered by Britain in a conflict that caused hundreds of deaths on both sides.

The defeat led to the fall of the military dictatorship, but the junta’s legacy is still an open wound. Tens of thousands of people were killed in the seven-year “dirty war”. The bodies of many abductees – known as the “disappeared” – have never been found, although forensic work continues to recover them.

Amnesties which protected former junta members from prosecution were repealed in 2003 and the pardons granted to military leaders overturned.

The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of Argentina’s most important tourist attractions

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Argentina country profile

Tardelli on the double as Brazil down Argentina 2-0

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Lionel Messi missed a first-half penalty as Brazil beat Argentina 2-0 in a fiercely contested “Superclasico” friendly in Beijing yesterday.

Journeyman Diego Tardelli was the unlikely hero with his first two goals for Brazil as Messi fluffed his lines with a tame spot-kick at the Bird’s Nest stadium.

Atletico Mineiro striker Tardelli, 29, put Brazil ahead on 28 minutes, before Messi curled his soft penalty attempt close to goalkeeper Jefferson just before half-time.

Tardelli was on target again in the second half as Brazil restored pride after the World Cup, when the hosts were hammered in the semis while Argentina reached the final.

“Brazil are the best team in the world with a great tradition,” beamed their coach Dunga, who is rebuilding following the 7-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to Germany.

“We have no big players, we are now acting as one team… The whole team is evolving, including me.”

Dunga brought on former national hero Kaka for a late cameo and he indicated the Sao Paulo FC midfielder could be set for a more regular role after 18 months on the sidelines.

“We need Kaka’s speed and control, he is an important part of our team,” he said.

Fears over Beijing’s choking smog had dominated the build-up but in a relief to players and organisers, air quality and visibility lifted on a breezy day in the Chinese capital.

Argentina were on top early in the match and Sergio Aguero fired an inviting chance over the bar before Angel Di Maria threatened with a drive from distance.

But it was Tardelli who broke the deadlock when he pounced on a loose ball and volleyed past Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero on 28 minutes.

Brazil superstar Neymar should have made it 2-0 shortly afterwards but after wriggling his way free on goal, he made a hash of his shot and the ball rolled harmlessly wide.

The game had come alive and Argentina got a golden chance to equalise when Danilo was judged to have fouled Di Maria in the box, prompting angry Brazilian players to surround Chinese referee Fan Qi.

Messi looked certain to bury the spot-kick but the four-time world player of the year shot too close to Brazilian ‘keeper Jefferson, who dived to his right for a simple stop.

It was the Barcelona icon’s second penalty miss in two weeks after he also miscued one for his club last month against Levante.

“We always try to win but today we couldn’t. It was a match defined by our two mistakes,” said Messi.

“The error for the first goal and the penalty were crucial. If I had converted, it could have changed the game.”

Filipe Luis and Di Maria had chances at either end as the second half started energetically, and Oscar went close with a free kick after Martin Demichelis chopped down Neymar.

But again Tardelli was in the right place at the right time as he nodded in Oscar’s cross at the back post to give Brazil breathing space on 64 minutes.

Tardelli was eventually replaced by Kaka, who drew a huge roar when he came on in the final minutes to end his prolonged spell in the international wilderness.

And there was time for Neymar to twice go close before Brazil were able to celebrate their win in front of more than 50,000 fans at the 2008 Olympic stadium.

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Tardelli on the double as Brazil down Argentina 2-0

Argentina by a whisker, through to quarter-finals of World Cup

By Patrick R. Anderson

Two-time World Cup champions Argentina struggled on Tuesday.

But even in struggling, the 1978 and 1986 World Champions still managed to advance to the quarter-finals of the 20th FIFA World Cup finals with an extra time strike from Angel Di Maria, who was set up by a surging run from Lionel Messi.

The teams sparred with each other from the kick-off, with Switzerland defending stoutly and smartly and at no time appeared to be like swiss cheese.

Argentina dominated possession, but it was Switzerland who could have had a 2-0 lead at half time. Xherdan Shaqiri cut in from the left side in the 28th minute and found Granit Xhaka, whose shot was stopped by goalkeeper Sergio Romero. Then in the 38th minute, Josip Drmic found himself all alone with Romero and missed a clear opportunity to give the Swiss the lead.

In the second half, Argentina attacked down the flanks, particularly through overlapping wing back Marcos Rojo.

But the deadlock was unbroken after regulation time of 90 minutes, and onto extra time they went.

The first fifteen minutes produced little. Until Switzerland turned the ball over at the half line with two minutes left in extra time. The dangerous and world acclaimed Lionel Messi picked up the loose ball and made a surging run of about 40 yards like a tidal wave to the top of Switzerland’s penalty box, where he picked out Di Maria to his right, and Di Maria calmly slotted  a left footed grounder past the diving Swiss keeper Diego Benaglio in the 118th minute.

Argentina 1, Switzerland 0. The Swiss resistance finally broken. And not even Bereford Hammond with his monster hit “Putting up resistance” could help. Except, the Swiss should have equalised soon thereafter, but Blerim Dzemaili’s header from three yards away hit the right upright, then rebounded off his knee into touch for a goal kick.

And Argentina escaped with a 1-0 victory.

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Argentina by a whisker, through to quarter-finals of World Cup

Argentina by a whisker, to meet Belgium in quarter-finals of World Cup

By Patrick R. Anderson

Two-time World Cup champions Argentina struggled on Tuesday.

But even in struggling, the 1978 and 1986 World Champions still managed to advance to the quarter-finals of the 20th FIFA World Cup finals with an extra time strike from Angel Di Maria, who was set up by a surging run from Lionel Messi.

The teams sparred with each other from the kick-off, with Switzerland defending stoutly and smartly and at no time appeared to be like swiss cheese.

Argentina dominated possession, but it was Switzerland who could have had a 2-0 lead at half time. Xherdan Shaqiri cut in from the left side in the 28th minute and found Granit Xhaka, whose shot was stopped by goalkeeper Sergio Romero. Then in the 38th minute, Josip Drmic found himself all alone with Romero and missed a clear opportunity to give the Swiss the lead.

In the second half, Argentina attacked down the flanks, particularly through overlapping wing back Marcos Rojo.

But the deadlock was unbroken after regulation time of 90 minutes, and onto extra time they went.

The first fifteen minutes produced little. Until Switzerland turned the ball over at the half line with two minutes left in extra time. The dangerous and world acclaimed Lionel Messi picked up the loose ball and made a surging run of about 40 yards like a tidal wave to the top of Switzerland’s penalty box, where he picked out Di Maria to his right, and Di Maria calmly slotted  a left footed grounder past the diving Swiss keeper Diego Benaglio in the 118th minute.

Argentina 1, Switzerland 0. The Swiss resistance finally broken. And not even Bereford Hammond with his monster hit “Putting up resistance” could help. Except, the Swiss should have equalised soon thereafter, but Blerim Dzemaili’s header from three yards away hit the right upright, then rebounded off his knee into touch for a goal kick.

And Argentina escaped with a 1-0 victory.

Over at the Arena Fonte Nova in the city of Salvador in front of 51,227 people, Belgium scored a hard fought extra-time victory over a gritty United States America to set-up the quarter-final meeting with Argentina.

A match which saw both teams in with chances throughout the regulation time of 90 minutes, but Chris Wondolowski, the substitute who came on in the 72nd minute to replace Graham Zusi, will be having  nightmares for a long time to come. Wondolowski missed a great scoring opportunity with no time left on the clock in regulation time, receiving a headed pass to the right channel from Jermaine Jones, found himself wide open as the Amazon, and missed the target from inside the six yard box.

Belgium would be grateful for that, and made USA pay for what should have been a 1-0 USA win.

Romelu Lukaku came on in the first minute of extra time, replacing Divock Origi, and he broke free down the right flank, showed physical strength and composure by shaking off a defender, crossed into the box, where a waiting Kevin de Bruyne beat an outstanding USA goalkeeper Tim Howard for the first time in the 93rd minute from 7 yards.

Belgium 1, USA 0.

Then in the 105th minute, Lukaku who by now was a terror for the USA, bore down in the penalty box and received a wonderful pass by de Bruyne, and on the run Lukaku hit a one time left footed shot to the near post to make it 2-0 .

But no sooner Belgium thought the match was over, up popped 19-year-old Julian Green, getting a pass in the penalty box, and under pressure hit a right footed volley pass Courtois to make it 2-1 in the 107th minute.

The USA pressed Belgium for the remainder of the match, creating multilpe scoring chances for the equaliser, but failed to capitalise.

In the end, Belgium won 2-1 and will meet Argentina in Saturday’s quarter-final.

So the quarter-final brackets have been filled.

On Friday, Brasil plays Colombia at 3p.m., while France oppose Germany in the opener at 11am ; then on Saturday, The Netherlands tackle CONCACAF team Costa Rica at 3p.m. , and Argentina face Belgium at 11am`.

HITZ92FM will have LIVE commentary starting with the pregame show at 10:30am, while TVJ will have the best pregame show starting at 10am.

The World Cup finals take a 2-day break and resumes on Friday July 4.

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Argentina by a whisker, to meet Belgium in quarter-finals of World Cup

Testing times ahead for Argentina

27 January 2014 Last updated at 11:04 ET By Ignacio de los Reyes BBC Mundo, Buenos Aires One day, Argentines went to sleep with a plummeting peso and tight exchange controls.

The next day, the country awoke to a radical change in the government of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s foreign currency policy.

After more than two years of increasing restrictions on the purchase of dollars, like taxing credit card transactions abroad or restricting online commerce on foreign websites, Ms Fernandez’s chief of staff, Jorge Capitanich, announced that buying dollars for savings accounts would be legal again.

From Monday, only those who earn at least 7,200 pesos (about $1,000; £600) a month will be entitled to apply, and be able to buy up to $2,000 a month.

There will be a register for those who apply, and Argentines who keep dollars on their account for at least a year will not need to pay a special tax.

It was an unexpected announcement and a shocking political reaction to the biggest devaluation of the peso in 12 years – and the biggest crisis of confidence for the Argentine economy since the collapse of the country in 2002.

“People are tired,” Emanuel, a young banker from Buenos Aires, told the BBC.

Like many Argentines, he does not want to give his full name for fear of being investigated by the fiscal authority if he speaks out against government policies.

“One week, the government put restrictions on online shopping and now they allow the purchase of dollars; it does not follow a pattern, they contradict each other all the time,” he says.

Continue reading the main story

The new measure seeks to ‘create more equity in this exchange market and provide certainty’”

End Quote Axel Kicillof Argentine Economy Minister Argentina’s new economy minister, young Keynesian Axel Kicillof, says the government is worried about the situation, but blames “market speculators” for the freefall of the peso in recent days.

The new measure seeks to “create more equity in this exchange market and provide certainty” in the national finances, he said.

But the main concern in Argentina is that, unlike most other countries, there is not just one foreign currency market, but two: the official one, where a dollar is worth eight pesos, and an underground system known as “dollar blue”, where buyers pay up to 12 pesos for a greenback.

Argentines who do not trust their own currency and fear the economy might worsen in coming months usually pay up to 50% more to buy dollars from underground money changers located all over central Buenos Aires, on the black market.

They know that with a rocketing inflation rate, currently standing at close to 30%, their pesos might not be worth saving in only a couple of months, so they would rather purchase dollars, even though this had been illegal up until now.

“I do not think this is good news,” says Liliana, 58, from Buenos Aires.

“Traders will suspend sales or increase prices to cover the cost of devaluation,” she says.

Booming prices

Indeed, the rising inflation is the main concern for Argentines.

Some electronics stores had already stopped displaying the prices of television sets, computers and home appliances on Friday, as they feared the new value of the peso would have an impact on all imported goods.

Travel agents say they are putting some holding bookings on hold, as tourists start to get nervous about the situation in Argentina.

And yet there is another concern for national economists.

Argentina’s reserves of hard currency dropped by 30% last year.

Despite the government’s efforts, Argentina’s reserves are now below $30bn – their lowest level since 2006.

The government hopes that the coming soy and cereal crops, one of the main sources of revenue for Argentina, will help ease the pain.

“This is not as worrying as it was in 2001 or 2002, but we are facing testing times,” Gerardo, 47, from Buenos Aires, says.

Like him, many fear the cocktail of rising prices and the worrying shape of the foreign reserves could put the economy on the brink once again.

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Testing times ahead for Argentina

Seven dead in Argentina heatwave

31 December 2013 Last updated at 13:54 ET Meteorologists say some of the highest temperatures have been recorded since records began A heatwave affecting Argentina has left at least seven people dead – most of them elderly – in the past week, officials say.

The heat has been compounded by power cuts, which have prevented many people from using air conditioning.

In Santiago del Estero and other northern provinces temperatures have soared to over 45C (113F).

Meteorologists say it has been the worst heatwave in the region since records began in 1906.

The victims of the extreme weather lived in Santiago del Estero, located 1,100km (680 miles) north of Buenos Aires.

Hundreds of people in the province have required medical help and doctors have warned people to stay indoors during the hottest hours.

Tyres on fire

Argentina’s ageing power grid has been struggling to keep up with increased demand for air-conditioning.

Ice cream parlours and other businesses have lost their stocks due to the power cuts

Authorities are blaming the energy shortages on the hot weather. But the opposition accuses the government of mismanaging the crisis.

Many people are protesting about the lack of services, says the BBC’s Irene Caselli in Buenos Aires. Some parts of the city have been without power for two weeks.

Residents have set fire to rubbish bags and tyres on the roads, causing traffic jams as many left the capital for the new year festivities.

Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri, a former ally of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, said private energy suppliers could not take all the blame.

“The main responsibility is with the federal government,” he said. “The government must make sure there is an investment programme, which has not happened in the last decade.”

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Seven dead in Argentina heatwave

Argentina loses $1.3bn debt appeal

25 August 2013 Last updated at 06:50 ET An Argentine ship was seized in Ghana last year as investors take their fight across the world Argentina has been told again it must pay back more than $1.3bn (£830m) to a group of investors – 11 years after its record debt default.

A New York appeals court unanimously rejected every Argentine argument against the payout.

The decision is the latest twist in the long-running legal saga.

Argentina refuses to pay anything to investors who declined to participate in a previous debt reduction deal involving most of the nation’s lenders.

“What the consequences predicted by Argentina have in common is that they are speculative, hyperbolic and almost entirely of the Republic’s own making,” the judges said in their decision.

But the appeals court held off forcing Argentina to pay pending an appeal to the Supreme Court – which is considered unlikely to hear the case, but puts off any decision to 2014, well after Argentina’s congressional elections in October.

The appeal came after a Manhattan court ruled last February that Argentina had violated its contractual obligation to treat all creditors equally. That meant the country would have to pay the bondholders, led by NML Capital and Aurelius Capital Management.

Argentina defaulted on some $100bn of debts in 2002, and has since restructured its debt twice, cancelling around 75% of the nominal value of the bonds.

Almost 92% of the country’s bondholders agreed to write off most of the amount owed to them.

NML Capital and Aurelius are demanding 100% repayment of the $1.3bn, plus interest.

The investors were so determined to get their money that they went to court to have an Argentinean ship, the Libertad, impounded in Ghana last year. After several weeks, the ship returned home.

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Argentina loses $1.3bn debt appeal

Argentina airport evicts LAN carrier

22 August 2013 Last updated at 04:24 ET “They are eliminating competition in a vicious way”

Latin America’s biggest airline has said the Argentine authorities have evicted it from its hangar in Buenos Aires’ main domestic airport.

Latam Airlines says its LAN Argentina operation will be unable to continue if the eviction notice is acted on.

The Chilean-Brazilian owned carrier is the main competitor to Argentina’s state-run Aerolineas.

President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has often been accused of protecting state-run firms.

The decision to evict LAN Argentina has outraged the airline, travel agents and trade unions, which fear job losses.

LAN Argentina said it had spent $5m on maintaining the hangar at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery, and paid $20,000 each month in rent under a contract that runs to 2023.

The airline said it had been given 10 days to leave the hangar, but had been given no reason for the eviction.

“We’ll go to the courts to enforce our rights,” said Agustin Agraz, LAN Argentina’s spokesman.

The airport authorities said the eviction was “in the national interest”, but did not elaborate.

Ms Fernandez’s government was widely criticised by international investors last year for nationalising an oil firm part-owned by Spanish company Repsol.

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Argentina airport evicts LAN carrier

Argentina mourning over Rosario blast

7 August 2013 Last updated at 19:46 Footage from the scene shows the devastating aftermath of the blast, as Ignacio de los Reyes reports

The Argentine government has declared two days of national mourning for the victims of a deadly gas explosion in a residential building in the city of Rosario on Tuesday.

At least 10 people died and more than 60 were injured, the authorities said. Twelve people are still missing.

The powerful blast destroyed the whole front of the 10-storey apartment block and damaged nearby buildings.

Rescue teams are continuing to search the rubble for survivors.

Continue reading the main story

I was in the bath when the explosion took place and the ceiling fell over my head”

End Quote Evangelina Fifth floor resident “We are trying to work without making a sound or creating vibrations that could provoke a collapse of the other buildings,” said Rosario Security Secretary Marcos Escajadillo.

Witnesses say the blast, which happened just before 10:00 local time (13:00 GMT), could be heard several kilometres away.

Police closed buildings and schools in a five-block radius.

More than 50 apartments were totally destroyed in the area.

Fire crews rescued dozens of residents from balconies and upper floors.

The government initially announced that 12 people had been killed in the accident, but it has since revised down the figure.

One of the 10 victims has not as yet been identified.

‘Black page’

Santa Fe provincial governor Antonio Bonfatti visited the affected area in Rosario’s city centre with Argentine Security Secretary Sergio Berni and Defence Secretary Agustin Rossi.

Continue reading the main story Mr Bonfatti said an official inquiry, headed by a judge, had been launched.

“This is the time to make a proper assessment so we can take a decision. Someone must be accountable for this.”

He described the accident as “a black page in the city’s history”.

Two gas engineers who were repairing the gas system at the Salta street apartment block shortly before the accident have been remanded in custody.

A fifth floor resident identified only as Evangelina told La Nacion newspaper that someone had tried to rob the gas meter two weekends before.

“A gas engineer was due to come to fix it today, so we were informed the gas was going to be cut off between 09:00 and 14:00,” she said.

“I was in the bath when the explosion took place and the ceiling fell over my head. I have lost everything.”

Rosario is Argentina’s third largest city, after Buenos Aires and Cordoba.

Pope Francis said he was “deeply saddened” by the tragedy in his home country.

Barcelona football star Lionel Messi, who was born in Rosario, also expressed his regret over the accident.

“Sending strength and lots of energy to the family members of the victims of today’s regrettable tragedy,” he wrote.

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Argentina mourning over Rosario blast