A passenger train near Barcelona derailed after hitting collapsed wall debris, killing one and seriously injuring four, raising fresh rail safety concerns.
GELIDA: One person died and four were seriously injured after a passenger train hit the rubble of a collapsed wall near Barcelona.
The accident occurred on Tuesday in the municipality of Gelida, about 40 kilometres west of Barcelona, according to the Catalonia region’s civil protection agency.
Catalan fire service spokesman Claudi Gallardo confirmed the fatality and serious injuries on the Barcelona-bound train.
Passengers in the first carriage were the most affected by the derailment.
Emergency workers used torches to survey the wreckage of the crumpled train carriage in the dark.
Catalan emergency services said their teams treated 37 people, mostly for light injuries, with 20 ambulances deployed to the scene.
Firefighters worked to free one passenger who was trapped in the train.
Rodalies de Catalunya, the public company managing the region’s commuter trains, said the victim was one of its employees.
Adif, Spain’s railway infrastructure manager, said the wall fell due to a storm.
The company suspended all Catalan commuter train services following the accident.
This incident raises further questions about Spanish rail safety.
It follows Sunday’s collision of two high-speed trains in Andalusia, which killed 42 people and injured more than 120.
