A commuter train derailment near Barcelona has left one train driver dead and at least 37 passengers injured, five of them critically, in yet another major rail tragedy to hit Catalonia this week.
The accident occurred on Tuesday evening when a Rodalies commuter train crashed after striking a retaining wall that collapsed onto the tracks between the towns of Gelida and Sant Sadurní. Local authorities confirmed that the impact caused the train to derail as violent storms swept across north-eastern Spain.
Catalonia’s regional fire inspector, Claudi Gallardo, said all passengers were successfully evacuated from the train. Emergency services deployed at least 11 ambulances to the scene in Gelida about 35 kilometres west of Barcelona to treat the injured, while 35 fire crews were sent to assist in rescue operations.
Firefighters reported that one passenger had been trapped inside the wreckage but was later rescued. In a subsequent update, officials confirmed that no one remained inside the train and that crews were conducting a thorough sweep of the area to ensure there were no additional victims.
According to emergency medical services, five people sustained serious injuries, six were listed in a less serious condition, and 26 suffered mild injuries. Several of the wounded were transferred to nearby hospitals, including Moisès Broggi, Bellvitge, and Vila Franca.
The derailment came as severe weather battered large parts of Spain, with coastal regions in the east and north-west placed on high alert due to heavy rain and storms. Spain’s rail infrastructure operator, Adif, said preliminary findings suggest the train’s axle was struck by a rock dislodged onto the tracks by the storm.
In a separate incident on Tuesday, another commuter train on Barcelona’s rail network also derailed while operating between Blanes and Maçanet-Massanes, north-east of the city. No injuries were reported in that case, though rail services were temporarily suspended.
The latest crashes in Catalonia follow a devastating rail accident just two days earlier in Adamuz, Andalusia, where two high-speed trains collided in one of the deadliest rail disasters in Spain in over a decade. At least 42 people were killed after a Madrid-bound train derailed, crossed onto opposite tracks, and slammed into an oncoming high-speed service.
Spanish authorities have launched investigations into the incidents as concerns grow over rail safety amid extreme weather conditions.
