TV presenter Ernestina Pais has tragically died at the age of 54 after a train collided with her car. The incident occurred at a level crossing in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Pais was driving a black Honda Civic when she reportedly crossed the tracks while the gate crossing was down before being hit by a Tren de la Costa train. Witnesses said they approached the scene to help Pais, but were unsuccessful.

Carlos, who works at a restaurant on the corner of the level crossing, recalled attempting to help Pais along with others, but they were unable to as the vehicle doors were jammed. "We heard the impact and ran to see what had happened and whether we could help. We couldn't do anything because the doors were stuck," he told the Noticias Argentinas news agency.

Carlos admitted no one was able to identify the victim, saying: "We didn't know who it was; we thought it was a boy because she was wearing an Argentina jersey and her face wasn't visible. We didn't recognize her. We found out later that it was her. While we were there, you couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman."

According to witnesses, Pais was showing signs of responsiveness after the impact, however, never answered when people attempted to communicate with her.

"She moved a little. She didn't respond when we spoke to her. There was a woman shouting at her, asking if she was okay, but she never answered," Carlos explained, adding that emergency services took about 15 minutes to arrive.

He recalled a police officer on the train who also tried to help, stating: "They got off quickly to see what had happened; they tried to open the doors and see if they could assist her, but they couldn't."

Pais began her career as a field reporter on the Argentine television programme La Biblia y el calefón before joining forces with her older sister and fellow presenter Federica Pais on the entertainment show Sabés o sonás in 2003.

The programme won the Martín Fierro Award for Best General Interest Programme and the Magia Award in 2007. Between 2005 and 2007, Pais co-hosted Mañanas informales alongside Jorge Guinzburg. Following his death in 2008, she continued as the show's main presenter, with Ronnie Arias joining her as co-host.

She also worked on the radio programme Salgan, which earned her the Martín Fierro Award for Best Female Radio Presenter in 2006. In 2009, she made history as the first woman to host Caiga Quien Caiga (CQC), succeeding Mario Pergolini. Her work on the programme earned her nominations for the Martín Fierro Award for Best Television Presenter in two consecutive years.

From 2019 to 2021, she was a panellist on the discussion programme Intratables, broadcast on América TV.