At least one person died and dozens were injured after a commuter train crashed near Barcelona on Tuesday night, in the latest of a series of rail accidents to hit Spain just days after a deadly high-speed collision in the south of the country.
The commuter train slammed into a retaining wall that had collapsed onto the tracks near the town of Gelida, around 35 kilometers southwest of Barcelona. Local media reported that the train driver was killed in the crash.
In a statement posted on social media, Catalonia’s emergency services said 37 people were injured, including five in serious condition. Around 20 ambulances were dispatched to the scene, and the wounded were transferred to three nearby hospitals.
Catalonia’s fire service confirmed that no passengers were trapped inside the train but said crews continued to inspect the underside of the carriages and the surrounding area to rule out the presence of additional victims, dw.com reports.
Spain’s rail infrastructure operator, ADIF, said preliminary indications suggest the retaining wall collapsed as a result of heavy rainfall that has swept across northeastern Spain in recent days. Commuter train services along the affected line were suspended following the accident.
In a separate incident later on Tuesday, El País newspaper reported that another train operating between Blanes and Maçanet stations in Catalonia derailed. No injuries were reported. The derailment was caused by rocks falling onto the tracks as a result of the same storm system. Rail services on that line were also suspended.
Meanwhile, authorities confirmed that the death toll from Sunday’s high-speed train collision in southern Spain has risen to 42. The crash occurred near the town of Adamuz in the Andalusia region, where two high-speed trains collided.
Andalusian regional authorities said three more bodies were recovered from the wreckage on Tuesday. Cordoba provincial officials confirmed that ten of the victims have been identified so far, without releasing details on their identities or nationalities.
Officials warned that the toll could rise further. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told state broadcaster RTVE that 43 people are still listed as missing. Police, assisted by tracker dogs, continue to search the crash site and surrounding areas.
Authorities said the front of the second train absorbed most of the impact, with its first two carriages derailed and thrown down a four-metre slope. Andalusia regional president Juanma Moreno said some victims were found hundreds of metres from the crash site, underscoring the force of the collision.
