A commuter passenger train derailed in Gelida, near the Spanish city of Barcelona, on Tuesday, killing the driver and injuring 37 people, according to a spokesperson for the regional government of Catalonia.
The incident came just two days after another deadly rail disaster in Spain, when two high-speed trains collided near Adamuz in the southern province of Córdoba, leaving 41 people dead, News.Az reports, citing CNN.
Tuesday’s accident involved a commuter service operating on the R4 line, which is used daily by thousands of passengers, as the train was traveling between the municipalities of Gelida and Sant Sadurní d’Anoia in the northeast of the country.
The derailment occurred after a retaining wall collapsed onto the tracks following heavy rainfall, the Civil Protection agency of Catalonia’s regional government said.
The incident occurred around 10:00 p.m. local time (4:00 p.m. ET), according to a statement from the train operator.
Emergency services received 28 calls related to the incident. Twenty ambulances from the Medical Emergency System (SEM) and 38 units from the regional fire department were dispatched to the scene.
The regional fire department of Catalonia reported that they established a security zone and proceeded to shore up both the retaining wall and the train to stabilize the scene. They also evacuated the injured outside of the so-called “hot zone” so they could be treated by local emergency services. Authorities said it was necessary to “extricate” one person who remained trapped inside the train.
Claudi Gallardo, inspector at the Catalonia regional fire department, said in televised comments from the site of the crash that four people were seriously injured, Reuters reported.
He said all passengers had been removed from the train.
Several people were treated for injuries of varying severity, including the train driver, who died after being assisted by the first responders.
The Minister of Interior and Security, Nuria Parlón, and the Minister of Territory, Silvia Paneque, are traveling to the scene of the accident.