A Barcelona commuter train crashed Tuesday in Catalonia in northeastern Spain, killing at least one person and injuring 37, as the nation began three days of mourning for 42 people killed in a separate deadly train collision on Sunday.
The train accident on Tuesday occurred near the town of Gelida, located about 35 minutes outside of Barcelona, and was caused by a retaining wall falling onto the tracks, Spanish regional authorities said.
Emergency services in Catalonia said of the 37 people affected by Tuesday’s crash, five were seriously injured while six others were in less serious condition. Regional firefighters said most of the injured had ridden in the first train car.
Emergency services said 20 ambulances had been sent to the site of the crash, and that the injured were taken to hospitals in the area.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez acknowledged the Barcelona area crash, writing on X: “All my affection and solidarity with the victims and their families.”
Spain’s railway operator ADIF said the containment wall likely collapsed due to heavy rainfall that swept across the northeastern Spanish region this week. Commuter train service was cancelled along the line, it said.
Also Read: Spain declares 3 days of mourning for 40 train crash victims
The crash comes just two days after a deadly train collision on Sunday killed at least 42 people in the country’s south and injured dozens more. Until Tuesday, emergency workers were still searching for more victims in the wreckage from the train accident that took place some 800 km away as the nation began three days of mourning.
While Spain’s high-speed rail network generally runs smoothly, and at least until Sunday had been a source of confidence, the commuter rail service is plagued by reliability issues. However, accidents causing injury or death are not common in either.
Antonio Sanz, the regional health minister of Andalusia, where Sunday’s accident occurred, earlier told Spanish media that the official toll from the accident had risen after another corpse was discovered in a severely damaged car.
Health authorities said 39 people remained in hospitals on Tuesday morning, while 83 people were treated and discharged.
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