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Driver killed and 37 injured after train derails near Barcelona | World News
A train driver has been killed and 37 people injured after a commuter train derailed near Barcelona.
A retaining wall “collapsed on to the tracks”, causing the incident, the region’s civil protection agency said on social media.
The accident occurred just two days after a train collision killed 42 people in southern Spain and injured dozens.
Following Tuesday’s incident, 20 ambulances were dispatched to the site near Gelida, on the outskirts of Barcelona, along with 38 firefighter units, emergency services said.
Four people were seriously injured, Claudi Gallardo, inspector at the Catalonia regional fire department, said in televised comments.
Fire crews in Catalonia review the site. Pic: CATALONIAN FIRE SERVICE
Pic: AP
The train was travelling south between Gelida and Sant Sadurni d’Anoia, according to Spanish newspaper El Mundo.
The injured have been taken to the Moises Broggu, Bellvitge, and Vilafranca hospitals, the newspaper reports.
Catalonia’s fire service confirmed “no one remained inside” the train carriages after conducting a review of the site.
“We are reviewing the underside of the train and conducting a sweep of the area to rule out any further victims,” it said on X. “We continue securing the area to work safely.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez acknowledged the Barcelona area crash, posting on X: “All my affection and solidarity with the victims and their families.”
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Pic: AP
Spain’s railway operator ADIF said the containment wall likely collapsed due to heavy rainfall across the northeastern Spanish region this week.
Commuter train services were cancelled along the line, it added.
The accident occurred in a region that has struggled for a long time with underfunded rail services and frequent incidents, according to Reuters.
