Spain Reels From Second Fatal Train Crash as Death Toll From Sunday Disaster Rises to 43

GELIDA, Spain — Commuter rail service in Spain’s northeastern Catalonia region was suspended Wednesday following a fatal train crash near Barcelona late Tuesday, marking the country’s second deadly railway incident in days. Authorities confirmed that one person was killed and 37 others were injured when a commuter train collided with a retaining wall that had collapsed onto the tracks due to heavy rainfall.

Regional authorities identified the victim of Tuesday’s crash as a conductor in training. The incident occurred near the town of Gelida, approximately 23 miles outside Barcelona. Emergency crews worked through the night to rescue passengers, most of whom sustained injuries in the first carriage. The disruption caused significant traffic congestion on roads leading into Barcelona on Wednesday, prompting regional officials to advise residents to minimize travel.

This latest accident compounds a national tragedy following Spain’s worst railway disaster since 2013, which occurred on Sunday in southern Spain. According to regional authorities in Andalusia, the death toll from that high-speed collision has risen to 43 after a body was recovered during ongoing rescue efforts on Wednesday. Health officials reported that 37 people remained hospitalized, while 86 others had been treated and discharged.

Sunday’s collision took place near Adamuz, about 230 miles from Madrid, when the tail end of a train carrying 289 passengers derailed and struck an incoming train carrying 184 people. The impact forced the first two carriages of the second train off the tracks and down a 13-foot slope. Andalusia regional President Juanma Moreno stated that bodies were found hundreds of meters from the wreckage site.

Transport Minister Óscar Puente described the Sunday collision as “truly strange,” noting it occurred on a straight section of track where neither train was speeding. Puente and Renfe president Álvaro Fernández stated that both trains were traveling well below the 155 mph speed limit and suggested that “human error could be ruled out.” Preliminary investigations have identified a broken section of track that may be linked to the crash, though Puente emphasized this remains a hypothesis.

The Spanish Union of Railway Drivers told The Associated Press that it had sent a letter in August to the national railway operator, requesting investigations into track flaws and speed reductions on certain lines until repairs were completed. These recommendations specifically included the high-speed line where Sunday’s crash occurred. The train that derailed belonged to the private operator Iryo, which stated the unit was manufactured in 2022 and passed a safety check on January 15.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed condolences on social media platform X, writing, “All my affection and solidarity with the victims and their families.” Meanwhile, survivors of the southern crash described the chaos. Santiago Tavares, a passenger from Portugal who suffered a broken leg, told broadcaster TVI that he sensed the carriage moving abnormally moments before the impact.

Infrastructure Safety & Investigation

The occurrence of two fatal railway incidents within a span of 48 hours has intensified scrutiny on Spain’s rail network infrastructure. While authorities have attributed the Barcelona incident to weather-induced structural failure, the investigation into the high-speed collision in southern Spain remains focused on potential track defects rather than human error. The findings from these inquiries will likely prompt a rigorous re-evaluation of maintenance protocols and safety inspections across both commuter and high-speed lines, particularly in light of prior warnings from railway unions regarding track integrity.