Railway infrastructure operator ADIF said preliminary assessments suggest the containment wall collapsed due to heavy rainfall that has affected northeastern Spain in recent days.
Just two days after a deadly train collision in southern Spain that killed at least 42 people, another commuter train accident on Tuesday left at least one person dead and 37 injured near Barcelona, according to Spanish regional authorities.
The latest crash occurred near the town of Gelida, around 35 minutes outside Barcelona, after a retaining wall collapsed onto the tracks, causing a commuter train to derail. Emergency services in Catalonia said five of the injured were in serious condition, while six suffered moderate injuries. The remaining passengers sustained minor injuries.
Around 20 ambulances were dispatched to the site, with the injured taken to nearby hospitals. Regional firefighters said most of those hurt were travelling in the first carriage of the train.
The incident came as emergency crews continued searching for victims from Sunday’s devastating train crash in Andalusia, located about 800 km away. Spain began three days of national mourning on Tuesday.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez acknowledged the Barcelona-area accident in a post on X, expressing “all my affection and solidarity with the victims and their families.”
Spain’s rail infrastructure, particularly its high-speed network, has long been considered reliable. However, commuter rail services have faced frequent disruptions and reliability concerns, though serious accidents remain rare.
Railway infrastructure operator ADIF said preliminary assessments suggest the containment wall collapsed due to heavy rainfall that has affected northeastern Spain in recent days. Commuter services along the affected line were suspended.
Meanwhile, Andalusia’s regional health minister Antonio Sanz said the death toll from Sunday’s crash rose after another body was recovered from a severely damaged carriage. Health authorities said 39 people remained hospitalised as of Tuesday morning, while 83 others had been treated and discharged.
