A passenger train derailed near the Spanish city of Barcelona on Wednesday after heavy rainfall caused a retaining wall to collapse onto the railway tracks, killing the train driver and leaving four passengers seriously injured, emergency services said.
A regional fire service official confirmed that the accident occurred on the outskirts of Barcelona, near the town of Lleida, when the wall fell onto the tracks amid severe weather conditions. The impact forced the train off the rails.
Claudio Gallardo, an inspector with Catalonia’s regional fire department, told local television from the scene that 37 people were injured, including four in critical condition, while the train driver was pronounced dead.
He added that all passengers had been safely evacuated from the train.
Emergency services said a major response was launched, with 20 ambulances and 38 fire units dispatched to the site to assist the injured and secure the area.
The incident comes just two days after a deadly high-speed train crash near Adamuz in the southern province of Córdoba, where a train collision and derailment claimed the lives of 42 people, according to local reports.
The latest derailment occurred in a region that has long suffered from underinvestment in rail infrastructure and has witnessed a series of railway-related incidents in recent years.
In a separate incident late Tuesday, rail traffic was also suspended between Blanes and Maçanet-Massanes, south of Girona and part of Barcelona’s commuter rail network, after “a train axle derailed,” according to a statement from Spanish rail operator Adif.
Authorities have launched investigations into both incidents, as concerns continue to grow over rail safety and infrastructure resilience amid extreme weather conditions.
Follow the latest news on Google News
