A train driver has been killed and at least 37 passengers injured, five of them severely, after a commuter train derailed and crashed near Barcelona, marking the second fatal rail accident in Spain within days.
Local officials said the Rodalies commuter train struck a retaining wall that collapsed onto the tracks between Gelida and Sant Sadurní, about 35 kilometres west of Barcelona, on Tuesday night.
Catalonia’s regional fire Inspector, Claudi Gallardo, confirmed that all passengers had been evacuated from the train.
The accident occurred amid heavy storms battering north-eastern Spain, with rail authorities believing the wall gave way as the train was passing shortly after 9:00pm local time. The impact reportedly struck the driver’s cab first before causing major damage to the first carriage, where most of the injured passengers were seated.
The driver’s identity had not been immediately confirmed, as three trainee drivers were also in the cab at the time of the crash. Firefighters said two of the trainees were among those seriously injured.
Emergency services said it took nearly an hour to free one survivor trapped at the scene, while the injured were taken to Moisès Broggi, Bellvitge and Vilafranca hospitals.
Rail services across Catalonia’s Rodalies commuter network have been completely suspended pending safety checks, with authorities saying operations will only resume once lines are deemed safe.
In response to the incidents, Spanish train drivers’ union, Semaf, called for a strike following the Gelida crash and a separate deadly collision near Córdoba in southern Spain, where at least 42 people were killed on Sunday.
“All members of Semaf are devastated and consider this situation of constant deterioration of the railway unacceptable,” the union said in a statement.
Sunday’s accident occurred in Adamuz, Andalusia, when two high-speed trains collided after carriages from a Madrid-bound train derailed onto opposite tracks.
Catalan officials attributed Tuesday’s derailment to heavy rainfall following months of drought, which they believe weakened the retaining wall.
Meanwhile, another train on the Barcelona commuter network also derailed on Tuesday. Spain’s rail infrastructure operator, Adif, said: “The axle was struck by a rock dislodged by the storm.”
The train, which was travelling between Blanes and Maçanet-Massanes, was reportedly carrying about 10 passengers.
With the suspension of the entire Rodalies network, Spanish newspaper El País reported that about 400,000 commuters across Catalonia are expected to be affected.
