A train accident near Barcelona on Tuesday left one person dead and four others seriously injured after a retaining wall collapsed onto the tracks. Firefighters confirmed the details, marking Spain’s second fatal rail incident in just a few days.
The crash happened as a passenger train struck rubble from the fallen wall, causing at least one carriage to derail. The incident occurred amid growing concern over rail safety in Spain.
Fresh safety concerns after deadly Andalusia crash
The latest accident is expected to intensify scrutiny of Spain’s railway system. Just two days earlier, a collision between two high-speed trains in the southern region of Andalusia killed 42 people and injured more than 120.
With two deadly rail incidents in the same week, questions are being raised about infrastructure safety and emergency preparedness.
What happened in Gelida
According to Catalonia’s civil protection agency, the accident took place in the municipality of Gelida, about 40 kilometres west of Barcelona.
“A retaining wall collapsed onto the tracks, causing an accident involving a passenger train,” the agency said in a social media post.
Emergency teams rushed to the scene as night fell. Firefighters used torches to inspect the damaged train, where one derailed carriage had been crushed into twisted metal, according to an AFP reporter present at the site.
Casualties and rescue efforts
Catalan fire service spokesman Claudi Gallardo confirmed the severity of the incident. “There are four seriously injured and one person who has passed away,” he told reporters.
He added that passengers in the first carriage of the Barcelona-bound train were the worst affected.
Rodalies de Catalunya, which operates the region’s commuter rail services, said the person who died was one of its employees.
Emergency services treated 37 people at the scene, most of whom suffered minor injuries. A total of 20 ambulances were deployed. Firefighters also had to rescue one passenger who was trapped inside the train.
Storm blamed for wall collapse
Adif, the authority responsible for Spain’s railway infrastructure, said the retaining wall collapsed due to a storm. Following the incident, Catalan commuter train services were suspended until further notice.
Investigations are expected to determine whether weather conditions alone caused the collapse or if structural issues played a role.