A commuter train derailment near Barcelona has left one person dead and dozens injured after a collapsed wall spilled rubble onto the tracks, emergency services in Catalonia have said.
Al Jazeera said the crash occurred on Tuesday in the municipality of Gelida, around 40km west of Barcelona, when the train struck debris from a retaining wall that had fallen onto the railway line. Officials said the train driver was killed and at least 37 passengers were injured, four of them seriously.
Claudi Gallardo, a regional fire service inspector, told reporters at the scene that all passengers had been evacuated from the train. “There are four seriously injured, and one person who has died,” he said.
Catalonia’s civil protection agency said the accident was caused by the collapse of a wall onto the tracks, while Spain’s rail infrastructure operator, ADIF, said initial indications suggested the structure gave way after heavy rainfall in the area over recent days.
The incident comes amid heightened concern over rail safety in Spain, just two days after a major collision in the southern region of Andalusia killed at least 42 people. That crash occurred near Adamuz, in Cordoba province, prompting the government to declare three days of national mourning.
High speed train collision in southern Spain leaves at least 39 deadAccording to ADIF, Sunday’s disaster happened when the rear of a train travelling from Malaga to Madrid derailed and struck an oncoming service heading from Madrid to Huelva. The second train’s leading carriages were forced off the track and down a four-metre embankment. Some victims were found hundreds of metres from the site.
Spain’s transport minister, Oscar Puente, described the Andalusian crash as “highly unusual”, noting that it took place on a straight stretch of track and that neither train was exceeding speed limits. Investigators have identified a damaged section of rail that may be linked to the accident, though Puente stressed it was too early to determine whether this was a cause or a result of the derailment.
“All possibilities remain open,” he said, adding that the investigation could take weeks.
Reporting from Cordoba, Al Jazeera correspondent Natacha Butler said the latest incident near Barcelona would increase pressure on the government and rail authorities to reassure the public about the safety of Spain’s rail network.
With two serious accidents in quick succession, questions are likely to intensify over infrastructure resilience, extreme weather and the robustness of safety systems across the country’s busy rail lines.
