In brief
A train driver was killed and at least 37 passengers injured in a train derailment near Barcelona. This incident marks the second fatal rail accident in Spain within days. Heavy storms are believed to have caused the retaining wall collapse that led to the crash. Rail service across the region is suspended while investigations and safety checks are conducted.
A train driver was tragically killed and at least 37 others were injured, some seriously, when a commuter train derailed near Barcelona. The accident occurred just two days after a catastrophic collision in southern Spain that left at least 43 people dead.
The train, part of the Rodalies service, collided with a retaining wall that collapsed onto the tracks near Gelida, leading to a catastrophic impact. Local officials reported that all passengers had been evacuated from the train, but emergency responders faced challenges due to the extent of the damage.
Heavy storms had rendered coastal areas on high alert in northeastern Spain, and the wall's collapse is suspected to have resulted from subsequent flooding after months of drought.
Rail officials confirmed that the retaining wall fell onto the driver's cab first, causing severe damage to the train's first carriage, where many of the injured were located. Firefighters took almost an hour to free one of the survivors at the scene.
In the wake of the tragedy, Catalonia's primary commuter rail services have been suspended while safety checks are conducted. The Spanish train drivers' union, Semaf, has announced a strike in response to these fatal incidents, highlighting growing concerns over the railway's safety infrastructure.
Just days earlier, another collision between high-speed trains in Andalusia resulted in one of the deadliest train accidents in Spanish history.
