One killed, several injured in train accident in Spain

One train driver was killed and scores of passengers were hurt on Friday when two suburban commuter trains crashed head-on outside Barcelona, Catalan officials said. Three of the injured passengers were in serious condition.

Another sixteen people were in what officials described as a less serious condition, and 76 had mild injuries. Around 100 passengers escaped unhurt.

A passenger on Friday warned the emergency services at 18:20 pm local time of a collision of two trains traveling the usual route R-4 in Rodalies, linking two cities in the main industrial belt of Barcelona, agencies reported.

It was a head-on collision of two trains, and a train driver was killed, according to state-owned railway operator Renfe Operadora.

A total of 95 people were injured during the wreck, three in serious condition, said local emergency services via their Twitter account.

The accident occurred between the cities of Sant Vicenc de Castellet and Manresa, prompting the rail service to be interrupted.

Local councilor Damia Calvet told Ser radio Station that the accident was “due to a malfunctioning of the signaling mechanism that should have prevented a train from following the wrong direction”, a possible “problem of manual systems”.

An eye witness told local TV how she saw a train heading towards the other, with no sufficient time to stop. “Pieces of glass broke off and flew around,” she described.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has sent his condolences to the victims and the family of the deceased.

“Keeping an eye on every piece of information that we can get from the emergency services regarding the frontal collision between two trains St Vicenc de Castellet and Manresa. My thoughts are with the deceased’s family and those who were injured,” Sanchez tweeted.

On Nov 20, 2018, a train carrying 133 people on the same route had an accident due to a landslide following heavy rains in the region, leaving one dead and 50 injured.