María Lucila Pagani (47 years old) passed away on June 18, 2026 after being hospitalized at the Burn Institute of Córdoba (Instituto del Quemado), where she remained in critical condition on mechanical ventilation.

The accident occurred on the evening of Sunday, June 14, 2026 at kilometer 7 of Route E-53, in the province of Córdoba, Argentina. Pagani was traveling as a passenger in a Renault Sandero when the cellphone connected to a charger exploded inside the cabin, causing a fire.

The driver, a 43-year-old man, lost control of the vehicle after the explosion, and the car crashed into a culvert in a storm drain. He was transferred to the Municipal Hospital of Unquillo and is now out of danger.

María Lucila "Luli" Pagani was a distinguished professional at the National University of Córdoba (UNC), one of Argentina's oldest and most prestigious universities:

• Bachelor of Arts from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA)
• Master in International Cultural Management from the Università di Genova (Italy)
• Master in Communication and Contemporary Culture from the Center for Advanced Studies at UNC
• Non-teaching staff member at the Faculty of Social Sciences
• Member of the Inter-Committee Human Rights Commission

She worked at the Pro-Secretariat of International Relations and the Secretariat of Student Affairs. She also taught at the secondary level and other higher education institutions, while developing research activities.